About Us
Introduction
Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading is a division of the Department of Justice. The Minister responsible for matters dealt with by this Office is The Hon Lisa Singh MP as Minister for Corrections and Consumer Protection.
Information on the Department and how Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading fits into the Department's overall organisational structure can be found in the Department's Annual Report. However, for an introduction to Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading itself, keep reading!
Mission Statement
Our mission statement is 'to encourage a fair, safe and equitable market place by:promoting social justice through advice and information to both consumers and business regarding their rights and responsibilities;
- providing an economic benefit to the market place by minimising transaction costs;
- encouraging business to compete on the basis of price, quality, accurate trade measurement and safety;
- discouraging behaviour that promotes unfair competition based upon misleading claims and deceptive conduct; and
- maintaining a register of business names, associations, chattel mortgages, security and investigation agents and travel agents.'
Vision
This Office is the main advisor to government on matters affecting the interests of consumers. It aims to maintain credibility in the community, as the regulator and administrator of consumer laws. It will also continue to provide quality and timely advice to all of our stakeholders. It will also continue to hold and maintain reliable data to enable the dissemination of information in a timely manner.
Values
The Office fosters the following values:
- high quality of service;
- equity;
- staff participation in decisions which directly affect them;
- results focused;
- high level of probity, integrity and conduct;
- encourage individual employees to achieve their highest potential; and
- a strong commitment to accountability.
Our Stakeholders
Our principal stakeholders are the Attorney General and the Tasmanian Government.
Key stakeholders are consumers, the wider business community and specifically those who need to deal with us as part of their legal obligations when conducting their business.
Our staff are important stakeholders. Our aim is to ensure that they are adequately resourced to perform their functions in a safe, harassment free and supportive environment.
Core Functions
Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading comprises five branches:
Policy and Legislation;
Measurement and Standards;
Compliance and Advisory Services;
Business Affairs; and
Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Each branch has a high level of expertise to enable it to efficiently and accurately deliver services.
The key functions of each Branch are detailed below.
Policy and Legislation
- Respond to the Attorney-General on consumer policy advice.
- Advise the Attorney-General on arising consumer issues.
- Provide policy advice to government on matters affecting the interests of consumers.
- Provide effective legislative options for Government to address market failure that have the lowest possible impact upon business.
- Represent and present Tasmania's position on general consumer policy issues at local and national forums.Represent the general community on Competition Policy reviews of legislation which restricts competition.
- Develop effective public awareness strategies on legislation administered by the Office.
Measurement and Standards
- To provide specialised advice on trade measurement issues to Government, industry and consumers.
- To investigate and resolve complaints concerning products safety and standards issues.
- Represent and present Tasmania's position on national Uniform Trade Measurement issues.
- Lead the National review on Uniform Product Safety.
- Maintain an effective presence in the community to encourage industry compliance with the Trade Measurement Act 1999 and the Sale of Hazardous Goods Act 1977.
- To provide regulatory services, including the licensing of certifiers and public weighbridge owners and the calibration and/or verification of standards for certifiers, industry and Government.
Compliance and Advisory
- Provide authoritative advice to consumers and business on consumer issues and legislation administered by the Office.
- Provide guidance to consumers and business to enable them to negotiate a solution to their complaints without direct intervention by the Office.
- Provide a limited conciliation service for disadvantaged consumers, (those who are not adequately skilled to present their own case to a trader).
- Maintain a presence in the community to encourage compliance with laws administered by the Office.
- Prosecute breaches of legislation administered by the Office.
Business Affairs
- Respond to enquiries concerning business names, associations, cooperatives, chattel mortgages and security and investigation agents.
- Process the registration of business names, associations, cooperatives, chattel mortgages, charitable collectors and security and investigation agents.
- Ensure associations, cooperatives and commercial agents comply with annual reporting requirements.
- Investigate the most appropriate options available for lodging documents.
- Maintain accurate reliable registers.
Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
The Tasmanian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages became part of the Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading division of the Department of Justice during 2004. The Registry is responsible for:
- Maintaining registers of births, deaths, marriages, deeds of relationship and adoptions that occur in Tasmania.
- Registering changes of name for people who were born or reside in Tasmania.
- Registering changes of sex for people whose birth is registered in Tasmania.
- Providing certified copies and extracts of entries in the registers.
- Providing data to Government Agencies and approved private organisations for statistical and research purposes.
For further information on the Registry, please view their web site at www.justice.tas.gov.au/bdm
