Challenge to Australia tobacco law could have vast impact
AFP Challenge to Australia tobacco law could have vast impact Geneva (AFP) – A landmark challenge to Australia’s plain-packaging law for cigarettes and cigars at the WTO could have vast implications for how governments square the rules of trade with radical public health measures. The case against Canberra has been spearheaded by cigar-producing nations Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Honduras, which say brandless packaging is an assault on their trading rights. World Trade Organization chief Roberto Azevedo is expected within days to name a three-member panel of independent experts on the laws of commerce, who will then have six months to issue a ruling on whether Australia is out of line. “Resolution of this dispute is critical because it will go a long way toward indicating whether the WTO will allow countries to take reasonable actions that are intended to protect the public’s health in an equitable and non-discriminatory fashion”,…
Read MoreACCC releases revised ‘Advertising and selling’
The ACCC has today released its revised Advertising and selling guide to help educate businesses about their rights and obligations when selling and promoting their products and services. The primary rule of advertising and selling under the Australian Consumer Law is to ensure that any statement you make about your products or services is true, accurate and able to be substantiated. This includes any statement you make in television or radio advertisements, in catalogues, on labels, on websites, in contracts (or during contract negotiations), over the telephone, in correspondence (such as letters or emails) or in person. It is also important to remember: · If you use ‘was/now’ or ‘strike through’ pricing, take care not to mislead consumers about the savings they can achieve. · The same rules apply to online businesses and bricks and mortar stores. · Don’t bury any qualifications or disclaimers in the fine print – they…
Read MoreE-cigarettes' case goes up in smoke following landmark ruling in WA court
Eamonn Duff April 20, 2014 Sun-Herald Vaporised: Battery-powered e-cigarettes have been banned in WA. Photo: Reuters NSW tobacco laws could be amended to specifically outlaw electronic cigarettes after a landmark legal test case in WA led to the criminal prosecution of an online stockist. ”E-cigarettes”, or vaporisers, are battery-powered devices that simulate the effects of smoking by heating a nicotine liquid into vapour, which the user then inhales and exhales. It has always been illegal to sell e-cigarette liquids that contain nicotine under Australian law but in a big development last week, the Supreme Court of Western Australia effectively banned e-cigarettes outright in the state, prosecuting a company, called HeavenlyVapours, which had been selling the dispensers and nicotine-free ”e-juice” through a website. The ruling means that anyone over 18 in WA can legally smoke a cigarette containing multiple chemicals and carcinogens, but cannot buy the electronic version which many claim…
Read MorePowdered alcohols fail to get approval
APRIL 22, 2014 News.com.au DON’T expect powdered alcohol to hit store shelves anytime soon. A product called “Palcohol†gained widespread media attention in recent days after it was reported that the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved the powdered alcohol, including vodka and rum varieties. But a representative for the federal agency told AP that the approvals were issued in error. Subsequent questions emailed to Tom Hogue, a representative of the agency, were not immediately answered. But in an email message, Palcohol’s parent company Lipsmark said it will resubmit the labels for approval. “We don’t have an expected approval date as label approval can vary widely,†the message said. Multiple varieties of Palcohol received “label approval†on April 8, according to the website for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Palcohol said in an email at around 5pm eastern time that the approvals were surrendered…
Read MoreAustralian shoppers are being slugged extra by big retailers including J. Crew
APRIL 22, 2014 NEWS.COM.AU IT’S being dubbed the ‘Australia tax’, the dubious honour of being slugged a premium price on everyday goods simply for living under the Southern Cross. Australians have a love affair with online shopping. We love the convenience of clicking away rather than battling crowded car parks and apathetic shop assistants, parting with $15 billion online in the year to February, according to NAB. And while local brands have cried foul over a perceived imbalance in GST collection against overseas sites, Australians are still spending most of their money at local e-commerce outlets, a dominant 74 per cent in fact. So it’s natural for major international retailers to eye our sunny shores and look to grab some of that discretionary cash that consumers in a stable economy have to spend. But some of them are taking a little too much advantage. It’s something most of us have…
Read MoreProduct recall as Brighton-based toy company cops $2k fine
TROELS SOMMERVILLE APRIL 22, 2014 MOORABBIN GLEN EIRA LEADER A TOY company has been fined and ordered to recall faulty stock after it was found to have sold unsafe products. After an investigation, Consumer Affairs Victoria has forced Brighton-based Red Hot Spot Pty Ltd to recall toy cars that were considered a choking hazard, as well as incorrectly labelled sunglasses. The company, which has a factory in Bentleigh, will have to pay $2000 and consent to having the stock destroyed. Refunds will also be offered to anyone who returned the mislabelled sunglasses or the “learning fun puzzle carsâ€, which were found to have “small parts that could break off and choke a childâ€. The cars were sold between January 2011 and August 27, 2013, when Consumer Affairs inspectors seized the stock from the company’s Bentleigh and Braybrook premises. Tests also showed the sunglasses did not have the required labels, markings…
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