Unfortunately, after significant bad weather the Office of Fair Trading receives increased reports of
dodgy door-to-door traders. There are a lot of Queenslanders today suffering from a loss or damage of
property. I want to warn them to be on the lookout for anyone selling flood assistance door to door.
Queensland has some of the toughest laws against intimidating tactics and unsolicited approaches
employed by some roving door-to-door traders. This is about protecting the rights of all Queenslanders,
particularly the elderly and those who can least afford to be ripped off. My warning to door-to-door
traders is very clear: act within the boundaries of the law or face fines of up to $270,000.
Door-to-door salespeople must produce an identity card with the dealer’s full name and address;
only contact customers between certain hours; provide a written contract with a breakdown of the costs,
including GST, and the total price where the sale of goods or services is valued at more than $75; and
they must offer a 10-day cooling-off period for the sale of the goods and the services. The Queensland
government has also recently moved to close a loophole that allowed door-to-door traders to apply for
permission to operate after-hours. This means traders can no longer sell door to door after 6 pm
Monday to Friday and after 5 pm on Saturdays. Trading is prohibited on Sundays and public holidays.
Whilst the Bligh government is working to offer higher levels of consumer protection in Australia,
under an LNP government the level of protection offered to Queenslanders would be significantly less.
With the 12,000 job cuts which were proposed, we would have seen Fair Trading officers removed from
service. The three per cent productivity dividend would have seen funding cuts which would have
restricted investigations and prosecutions. So whilst the LNP went door to door selling its snake-oil
solution to the global financial crisis during the last election, the Bligh government made a commitment
to protect jobs and Queenslanders, and we stand by that commitment.
