On 12 August, a minor amendment was made to the Trade Practices (Consumer Product Safety Standard) (Bicycle Helmets) Regulations 2001, extending the operation of the regulations by 12 months, until 31 August 2007. The regulations, which specify the basic performance requirements for bicycle helmets so as to lessen the effects of a blow to the head, were due to expire on 31 August this year. The extension of the operation of the regulations will enable completion of a comprehensive review of the mandatory standard, with a view to determining what changes, if any, should be made.
The updated regulations, incorporating the recent change, are available on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments and can be accessed here.
Queries concerning the regulations, their review or the recent amendment can be directed to the ACCC's Product Safety Policy section on (02) 6243 1231.
Franchising Code of Conduct
The Franchising Code of Conduct is a mandatory code of conduct, prescribed under the Trade Practices Act. The code contains provisions regulating the commencement, ongoing relationship and termination of all franchising agreements, or other business arrangements which meet the definition under the code. Knowledge of the code is vital for anyone in the franchising industry, but particularly for people considering entering a franchising agreement for the first time.
The ACCC's Outreach and Small Business Units work collaboratively to raise awareness of the code among prospective franchisees. This educational effort includes radio advertisements, ACCC attendance at franchising and business opportunities expos, and classified ads in newspapers to promote the code and direct readers to sources of further information.
The Franchisee start-up checklist and The Franchisee's Guide to the Franchising Code of Conduct are two plain English guides to the code, and can be obtained from the ACCC website (www.accc.gov.au) or through the ACCC Small Business Helpline on 1300 302 021.
