Recently the NSW Supreme Court issued a minimal fine to Lu Luo, Director of Infinity Cable Pty. Ltd, of only $18,000 for breaches of the Electricity (Consumer Safety) Act 2004. Infinity were involved in importing more than 4,300km of defective electric cable which by some estimates may have been installed in as many as 22,000 homes and business across the country. Chairman of the Australian Cablemakers Association (ACA) Greg Stack said that the penalty imposed on Infinity Cable is simply not enough and it sends the wrong message to the industry.
“Considering this recall is estimated to cost more than $80 million and with only about half the product recovered, it’s not good enough to merely give the importers a slap on the wrist. There is still a lot of potentially dangerous product installed in people’s homes representing an ongoing threat to their safety” Mr Stack said.
“It will not deter other unscrupulous importers of dodgy cabling when when we hand out such light penalties.”
“I welcome the recent announcement by the Queensland Government of legislation to tackle non- conforming building products and chain of responsibility issues.”
Providing the Queensland Building and Construction Commission (QBCC) with these new increased powers to inspect, test and recall products as well as issuing warnings, will provide increased safety for the community.
“We encourage other jurisdictions to look at similar legislation which will provide certainty and increase safety to the industry.”
“Our regulatory system across the country needs to send a strong message that importing and distributing faulty cables is not acceptable and if you brake the law, there will be severe consequences.”
Ends.
Media contact: SAS Group on 07 3221 9222
The ACA has been formed to represent the interests of Australia’s cable manufacturers in interactions with governments, government authorities and industry bodies. It launched the Approved Cables Initiative (ACI) to promote safety standards by arranging independent performance testing of Australian and foreign manufactured cables, enforcing and upholding Australian cable specifications and standards, to meet community expectations in areas such as energy efficiency and electrical and fire safety.
AUSTRALIAN CABLEMAKERS ASSOCIATION LIMITED
GPO Box 49 Canberra ACT 2601
P 03 9281 4203 ABN 52 152 736 466
