6 years ago
PM EVADES QT TAKATA RECALL SCRUTINY
TIM HAMMOND MP
The Turnbull Government has failed to explain why it took six months for a compulsory recall of deadly Takata airbags during Question Time today, leaving millions of ticking timebombs on our roads.
Labor has been calling for a compulsory recall to be issued for over six months, following ACCC testimony in a parliamentary committee hearing about the deadly danger facing millions of Australian motorists and their families.
On 16 August 2017 the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) told the House Economics Standing Committee that the risks associated with Takata ‘Alpha’ airbags were such that must be replaced immediately. ACCC chairman Rod Sims also revealed that, as the Takata recall was voluntary at the time, there was little enforcement action they could take to ensure everything possible is being done to replace the airbags.
The following day Labor called for the then Minister responsible for product safety, Michael McCormack, to use his emergency powers under s.132J of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to issue an immediate compulsory recall for Takata airbags, amid growing concerns about the inadequacy of the voluntary recall process, and renewed urgency around the ‘Alpha’ type airbags.
The potentially lethal Takata airbags have been found to have misfiring inflators capable of firing shrapnel through a vehicle’s cabin, risking life and limb of the driver and passengers. They can turn a minor accident into a fatal crash.
The “Alpha” airbags have been identified as particularly dangerous, with a failure rate of one in two compared to a failure rate of one in 400 for other Takata airbag models.
Misfiring Takata airbags are believed to have killed over 20 people worldwide including at least one Australian.
Millions of ticking time bombs remain on the road, and one Australian has already died, yet it took six months for the Government to take any action. What was Minister McCormack waiting for, and why is the Prime Minister trying to protect him?