Page 1914 - Week 07 - Thursday, 20 August 1992
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the cradles from circulation. It is estimated that up to 50,000 of the cradles have been sold and distributed throughout Australia in the past 10 years. A temporary sales ban on four types of the cradles has been placed in South Australia by the Consumer Affairs Division, and in Queensland the sale of the Siesta cradle was banned last Tuesday. What action has the Minister taken in this matter to protect babies in the ACT from harm?
MR CONNOLLY: I thank Mr Stevenson for his question. The national media reported, in early August, the results of a coronial inquiry in South Australia where the coroner, Mr Ahern, sheeted home the blame for that tragic incident to a defect in the manufacture of the cradle. As a result of that, the South Australian Government, as you said, imposed a temporary product ban. I asked my officials some time ago to look at that matter. This morning I signed an interim product ban in the ACT mirroring the South Australian and Queensland bans for the four products - the two Siesta-type cradles, a Colonial-Rambrook cradle and a Kiddy Comfort cradle. That has the effect of banning the sale of those items in the ACT for 28 days. The distributor has, as you indicated, withdrawn these from distribution nationally.
I would expect that the Director of Consumer Affairs will get in contact with his colleagues around Australia and we will decide, in a few weeks' time, whether to make this ban permanent, or whether some of those four are safe. The safest course of action in a situation like this, Madam Speaker, particularly with a product that potentially exposes very young children to risk, is to play it safe and to impose an interim ban while these four products are under a serious cloud. If it turns out that one or other of the products is safe, we can lift the ban. For the moment, as of this morning, we have banned the sale of those four products, to mirror the South Australian and Queensland bans. I table the interim products safety order signed this morning.
MR STEVENSON: I have a brief supplementary question. Has any thought been given to a product recall?
MR CONNOLLY: Madam Speaker, I am awaiting further advice on that. As soon as we became aware of the problem and what had happened in other States, we moved quickly to put on the sales ban. While that is valid - it is an interim ban over the next 28 days - we will look at what else should or could be done.
Ms Follett: Madam Speaker, I ask that further questions be placed on the notice paper.
CSIRO Headquarters
MS FOLLETT: Yesterday, Madam Speaker, Mr Kaine asked me a question without notice about the relocation of the CSIRO headquarters. I am now in a position to provide Mr Kaine with the details of that. I do not believe that it adds much to what is in the public domain already, so I propose merely to have it incorporated in Hansard.
Leave granted.
Document incorporated at Appendix 1.
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