ACCESS Canberra’s Chief Operating Officer David Snowden has announced that, as part of an upcoming compliance program, Access Canberra officers will be reviewing advertising material of local tradespeople to ensure that it accurately reflects the class and competency of licence holders.

The compliance program will ensure that advertising representations do not:

• mislead or deceive consumers;
• expose consumers to financial harm or safety risk;
• undermine the validity of the Construction Occupations Licensing Scheme; and
• have a reputational impact on individuals/businesses operating legitimately.

“Access Canberra’s compliance activities are aimed at ensuring positive outcomes for the community and industry,” David said.

“By monitoring and determining levels of compliance with the requirements of legislation, Access Canberra minimises the risk of harm to consumers and protects the reputation of individuals and businesses doing the right the thing.

“The potential risk to consumers who hire tradespeople using misleading advertising include:

• the tradesperson not having the required skills/qualifications to perform the work to an appropriate standard;
• the tradesperson not being covered by or having in place appropriate insurance; and
• the work completed by the tradesperson not being able to be ‘passed’ or ‘certified’, where required.

“If non-compliance is detected, voluntary compliance will be encouraged in line with Access Canberra’s focus on engagement and education, rather than strict enforcement.

“Our targeted compliance programs are one of the ways we work with industry to ensure a safe, fair and competitive market in the building and construction industry,” Mr Snowden said.

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