Consumers are encouraged to submit feedback on manufacturers and suppliers who have not provided accurate or compliant warranty information regarding defects, as required under the Australian Consumer Law. 

When consumers buy a product or service, they are protected by an automatic guarantee that the product or service does what you paid for. 

Automatic consumer guarantees apply for a reasonable timeframe depending on the nature of the goods or service, regardless of any other warranties a business offers or sells. 

They may also apply after the manufacturer’s warranty period has expired. 

Whether it’s clothing, cameras or car servicing, consumers are protected under the law. 

Asking a trader for the warranty information for the product or service you buy should become part of everyone’s checklist when making a purchase. 

In 2012 Fair Trading received 2997 enquiries and 1814 complaints in relation to warranties. 

This year, consumers have already made 923 enquiries and 761 complaints. Fair Trading has resolved more than 1500 of these complaints. 

The campaign will not only help consumers, it will ensure traders are reminded of their responsibilities and are operating within the law. 

Consumers are encouraged to visit www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au or email warranties@services.nsw.gov.au a photograph or copy of any written warranty that does not contain the following phrase: Our goods come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. 

You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. 

You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure.

Fair Trading will take action to deal with manufacturers and suppliers who are failing to comply with their responsibilities under the ACL.  

Fair Trading’s free ShopSmart app for Androids and iPhones also provides handy information on warranties, refunds and online shopping. To download ShopSmart, visit www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au

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The NSW government is rolling out a new program of free workshops called ‘NSW First’, designed to provide tourism operators with information and skills to grow their own business and their region.  

The Dubbo workshop will be held on Tuesday August 6, 2013. Regional NSW has abundant natural beauty and fantastic tourist attractions. 

In a competitive market we need to ensure local operators provide the best possible product for our domestic and international visitors.  

A key recommendation from the Visitor Economy Taskforce Report was to improve the capacity of the tourism industry in NSW to become more competitive.  

These free, one-day workshops, held across NSW, will provide operators with a great way to learn new skills and hear new ideas to make their businesses and regions more successful, and to ensure NSW is first on the list of consideration for a visit. 

Workshop topics will include how to develop a compelling visitor experience, how to market effectively, how to use the internet to drive business success, and how to generate publicity. 

The workshops are also a good example of how the NSW government, through the NSW NOW The New State of Business initiative, is delivering a program that will drive the economic growth and development of the state. 

In 2012 tourism provided $26.1billion to the NSW economy and employed 159,000 people.  

With nearly 100,000 businesses involved in tourism providing these free workshops will enable tourism’s contribution to grow, particularly in Regional NSW where visitors spent $9.3 billion in 2012. 

The workshops have been designed to build capacity and skills in NSW.  The topics being covered have been largely chosen by the NSW tourism industry and will provide operators with an expanded skills base to assist them to drive more tourism business to their destinations. 

Narromine’s much-loved Aviation Museum shared in the $20,000 of funding announced last week by the NSW government as part of its commitment to increasing opportunities for participation in arts and cultural activities in regional communities. 

The museum receives a further $1224 for stage two of its lighting upgrade, one of the 13 volunteer-initiated museums to do so this round. 

The NSW government’s Volunteer Initiated Museum Small Grants Program, offers grants of up to $2000 for short-term, collection-focused projects delivered by volunteer-initiated museums in NSW. 

Community museums like the Narromine Aviation Museum play a vital role as custodians of our history and heritage, so it’s fitting the government supports projects that help to preserve local collections for the rest of the community to enjoy. 

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Last week the government announced grants aimed at helping the community cut down on the amount of household garbage which ends up in landfill which could otherwise have been recycled. 

Avoiding food waste happens to be the focus of this year’s World Environment Day. 

An estimated 800,000 tonnes of food worth in the vicinity of two and a half billion dollars is wasted each year. 

Love Food Hate Waste grant recipients share one thing in common, that is helping families save money on their weekly shopping by cutting down the amount of food that is wasted each week. 

Forbes Shire Council will launch its Love Food Hate Waste program with cooking demonstrations delivered by a celebrity chef courtesy of a $6640 grant. 

Following its launch, the program will include supermarket visits, workshops and the development of a community recipe and tips book. 

The applicant Netwaste in partnership with Dubbo, Bathurst and Orange City Councils has received a $24,534 grant under the program and will be working to deliver the Sustainable Supermarket Shopping Challenge complemented by a local media campaign which has already proven to be a very effective way of engaging the community about how best to reduce food waste. 

We know that across NSW households are spending roughly one thousand dollars a year on food that is wasted. 

However by following 10 basic tips to avoid food waste you can keep more money in your pocket and you’ll be helping to reduce the amount of food going to landfill. 

The tips to avoid food waste can be found by visiting www.lovefoodhatewaste.nsw.gov.au.