ABSTRACT
Since the late 1960s and early 1970s, there has been a clear growth in consumer protection. This is going to continue to grow with the suggested introduction of true product liability laws. That is, if a consumer product injures a consumer the manufacturer will automatically be liable (in law, called strict liability). In fact, the major change in consumer protection has been the introduction of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (TPA) (Cth). This single statute has had a dramatic affect upon the business environment and also binds the Commonwealth. It is interesting to note that many of the provisions introduced to aid consumers have become used by businesses to gain competitive advantage over other competitors.
