Section 131 — Competition and Consumer Act 2010: Suppliers to report consumer goods associated with the death or serious injury or illness of any person

(1) If: (a) a person (the supplier), in trade or commerce, supplies consumer goods; and (b) the supplier becomes aware of the death or serious injury or illness of any person and: (i) considers that the death or serious injury or illness was caused, or may have been caused, by the use or foreseeable misuse of the consumer goods; or (ii) becomes aware that a person other than the supplier considers that the death or serious injury or illness was caused, or may have been caused, by the use or foreseeable misuse of the consumer goods; the supplier must, within 2 days of becoming so aware, give the Commonwealth Minister a written notice that complies with subsection (5). Note: A pecuniary penalty may be imposed for a contravention of this subsection. (2) Subsection (1) does not apply if: (a) it is clear that the death or serious injury or illness was not caused by the use or foreseeable misuse of the consumer goods; or (b) it is very unlikely that the death or serious injury or illness was caused by the use or foreseeable misuse of the consumer goods; or (c) the supplier, or another person, is required to notify the death or serious injury or illness in accordance with a law of the Commonwealth, a State or a Territory that is a law specified in the regulations; or (d) the supplier, or another person, is required to notify the death or serious injury or illness in accordance with an industry code of practice that: (i) applies to the supplier or other person; and (ii) is specified in the regulations. (3) Subsection (1) applies whether or not the consumer goods were being used before or at the time the death or serious injury or illness occurred. (4) Without limiting subsection (1), the ways in which the supplier may become aware as mentioned in subsection (1)(b) include receiving the relevant information from any of the following: (a) a consumer; (b) a person who re-supplies the consumer goods; (c) a repairer or insurer of the goods; (d) an industry organisation or consumer organisation. (5) The notice must: (a) identify the consumer goods; and (b) include information about the following matters to the extent that it is known by the supplier at the time the notice is given: (i) when, and in what quantities, the consumer goods were manufactured in Australia, supplied in Australia, imported into Australia or exported from Australia; (ii) the circumstances in which the death or serious injury or illness occurred; (iii) the nature of any serious injury or illness suffered by any person; (iv) any action that the supplier has taken, or is intending to take, in relation to the consumer goods. (6) The giving of the notice under subsection (1) is not to be taken for any purpose to be an admission by the supplier of any liability in relation to: (a) the consumer goods; or (b) the death or serious injury or illness of any person.