THE Perth Royal Show is a highlight on WA’s calendar, and Consumer Protection is helping keep families safe through targeted inspections of toys and novelty items.

At the 2024 Show, product safety inspectors conducted 42 inspections, assessing 121 items from showbags and sideshow alley stalls. Disappointingly, 19 products failed to comply with mandatory safety standards – matching the number of unsafe items identified in 2023.

Examples of non-compliant products included:

• Light-up animal hats, head bands, balloons and shoe charms missing correct button battery warnings

• Face gems, tooth whitening kits and stick-on nails without ingredient lists

• Fleece pyjamas and onesies lacking required fire hazard labels

• Sunglasses missing lens category information, and

• An archery set sold without mandatory projectile toy warnings.

As a result, stallholders received eight formal warnings and four infringement notices, amounting to $15,840 in penalties. This marks a slight shift from 2023, when nine warnings and two infringement notices were issued.

Commissioner for Consumer Protection Trish Blake confirmed that product safety officers would once again be attending this year’s event to check stallholders were doing the right thing.

“The Perth Royal Show is a fantastic event for families and it’s vital that the products on offer – especially those for children – are safe not just on the day, but when they’re taken home,” Ms Blake said.

Ms Blake expressed concern over some ongoing non-compliance with button battery safety standards at last year’s Show.

“There’s simply no excuse for stallholders to be carrying non-compliant stock, given the button battery information and mandatory standards have been in effect since mid-2022,” she said.