Fair Trading media enquiries

You can contact our media team directly if you:

• are a journalist or media representative
• work for a newspaper (print or online), magazine, radio or television outlet
• are producing a commissioned article.

Please include your full name, contact details, media organisation and deadline (if applicable).

If you are not a media representative:

• the media team won't be able to help you
• you can contact us via an alternative method.

What we can do

Respond to enquiries

We can:

• receive enquiries from media outlets
• prepare and provide official responses to enquiries from media outlets.

We also prepare media statements on behalf of the Office of Fair Trading.

Arrange interviews

We can provide media outlets with an expert spokesperson on a variety of topics, such as:

• the rights and responsibilities of consumers and businesses under the Australian Consumer Law
• tips for buying or selling a variety of products and services
• product safety, including keeping your home safe for young children and warnings on dangerous products
• ways to recognise and avoid scams
• the property industry and real estate agents
• the motor industry and motor dealers
• the security industry and crowd controllers, bodyguards and security officers
• the tattoo industry
• charities and incorporated associations
• businesses and traders that we have prosecuted or publicly named.

Provide statistics

We can produce statistics about:

• each of the industries we regulate
• offences under our legislation
• particular types of products or services (such as whitegoods, jewellery or home maintenance services).

We can give the number of:

• complaints we’ve received
• investigations we’ve conducted
• enforcement outcomes we’ve achieved (such as suspended or cancelled licenses, infringement notices issued or court prosecutions)
• individuals or businesses who are licensed.

If you are requesting statistics, please do so at least 48 hours before your deadline.

What we can’t do

Comment on specific businesses

We generally do not comment on complaints about, or investigations into, specific businesses or traders.

This is because:

• a complaint alone does not constitute a breach of fair trading legislation, and it may be unfair to the business to disclose whether we have received complaints (or how many)
• doing so may jeopardise any investigation that we may be conducting into the business.

We may make an exception if:

• we have previously disclosed details about the business
• the information is public record (for example, court records)
• it is in the public interest.

We recommend that you contact our media team to discuss the particular trader or business your enquiry relates to.