Product bans

Bans can be placed on products and product-related services if there is a risk that they may cause serious injury, illness or death.

Supplier responsibilities

Under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), suppliers are responsible for selling consumer products that are safe and fit for purpose. Suppliers who fail to comply with product bans under the ACL may face enforcement action that attracts significant fines and pecuniary penalties.

Before you supply products to consumers in Australia, you should:

  • check whether any of the products that you supply are subject to a ban
  • if selling online, block any products which are banned in Australia, or non-compliant with Australian laws, from being shipped to Australia
  • implement product safety compliance systems as a priority for your business
  • stay up to date with product safety developments in Australia by subscribing to Product Safety Australia’s email alerts.

For tips on responsible supply, see Responsible sourcing of products, Safe sourcing and Selling online.

If you are aware of any banned or unsafe products being supplied in Australia, you can Report an unsafe product.

See: About product bans

Banned products

All current Commonwealth permanent and interim product safety bans, and state and territory interim bans.

This ban applies to candle wicks that contain more than 0.06 per cent lead, and includes wicks sold as part of a candle or sold separately. Risks: lead poisoning, leading to disability and impairment.
This ban applies to candle holders and decorations, which when subjected to flame or heat emanating from a candle, ignite and continue to flame for a period of five seconds or more after ignition. Risk: fire hazard.
This ban applies to toys, childcare articles, eating vessels and utensils intended for children up to and including 36 months of age that they can readily chew and/or suck. Items containing more than 1 per cent by weight of diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) are banned. Risk: reproductive toxicity for children.

Sky lanterns are banned from supply in Australia.

Tinted headlight covers that restrict more than fifteen percent of a headlight's beams are permanently banned.

This ban applies to the sale of inflatable toys, novelties and furniture that have loose beads or small particles inside the product, due to the risk of choking or suffocation for young children.
Yo-yo water balls or other similar liquid-filled novelties are banned from supply in Australia.

Translations

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