ICCC, Customs to protect consumers

 THE Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) with the PNG Customs Services have taken a stand to stop the importation of dangerous goods through a memorandum of understanding.

The agreement will enable the two organisations to work together to monitor and eliminate the importation of unsafe consumer goods into PNG.

This follows the rise in the sale of dangerous goods to consumers in the community.

Customs Service Commissioner Ray Paul said they had been concerned for sometime about the importation of goods that could cause injury or even death to consumers who had been using these goods.

Paul said the MoU would enable the partnership to protect the consumers.

ICCC Commissioner Dr Billy Manoka added: “As the principal consumer watchdog, ICCC is giving priority to product safety issues and has already identified a number of goods that may be hazardous or dangerous to consumers. 

“It will be imposing bans on some of those products and will be alerting consumers of the risks that other products pose.”

He said that under the ICCC Act, a ban might be imposed on products that were unsafe.  

Paul said Custom’s assistance would not only identify goods that were banned and those that did not conform to mandatory consumer standards, but would also alert ICCC when they became aware of any goods likely to cause harm to consumers.

Senior ICCC adviser Winston Rodrigues said children were the most vulnerable section of society and needed to be protected from the risk of harm and death from dangerous 

products. 

“All parents would be relieved that the ICCC and Custom Services are collaborating to reduce the risk to life and lives of their children,” he said.