❓ Mr. Millman asks about the implementation of the Ticket Scalping Act 2021 and its impact on protecting Western Australians seeking to attend the AFL Grand Final. The Minister responds positively, highlighting enforcement actions and successes.
AnsweredQoN 568Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
AFL GRAND FINAL — TICKET SCALPING ACT
568. Mr S.A. MILLMAN to the Minister for Commerce:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's efforts to protect Western Australian
consumers from being ripped off by
ticket scalpers, including through the implementation of the landmark Ticket
Scalping Act 2021. Can the minister update the house on the implementation
of this legislation, including how it helped protect Western Australians who
were seeking to attend the AFL grand final?
568. Mr S.A. MILLMAN to the Minister for Commerce:
I
refer to the McGowan Labor government's efforts to protect Western Australian
consumers from being ripped off by
ticket scalpers, including through the implementation of the landmark Ticket
Scalping Act 2021. Can the minister update the house on the implementation
of this legislation, including how it helped protect Western Australians who
were seeking to attend the AFL grand final?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Mount Lawley
for his question on this important legislation that was a 2017 election commitment and which we introduced as a priority
early in this parliamentary term. The measures that we delivered essentially protect consumers from the really nefarious practice of ticket
scalping. It is predatory and can create huge
disappointment for people who turn up at the gates of events with their family
and find that their tickets are completely invalid. The act provides the
Commissioner for Consumer Protection with new powers to enforce anti-ticket
scalping measures, including limiting the price of resale tickets to no more
than 10 per cent of their face value. The act also imposes very heavy penalties
of $20 000 for individuals and $100 000 for corporations that breach its
provisions. The penalties are even higher if organisations are found to be
using bots.
The Consumer Protection division has
worked very diligently prior to and since the passing of the act. The commissioner wrote directly to operators of online
ticket selling platforms, including major international platforms, to
advise them of their obligations. Thankfully, even before the legislation was
passed, ticket reseller Viagogo advised the government that it would not be
reselling tickets. That is a huge win and an indication to the sector that it
has to do the right thing.
Consumer Protection directly
monitored local and general online reselling platforms Gumtree and eBay, and
found 45 advertisements attempting to resell AFL tickets for more than 10 per
cent of their original value. A number of resellers were given warnings, to educate
people, and seven noncompliant advertisements were also found on Facebook and Instagram. They were either corrected
or removed. Consumer Protection is considering further action against
recalcitrant offenders who continue to do that. This is a great win for the
act, and the success of this law for this really important event sends a really
strong signal for future events to come.
for his question on this important legislation that was a 2017 election commitment and which we introduced as a priority
early in this parliamentary term. The measures that we delivered essentially protect consumers from the really nefarious practice of ticket
scalping. It is predatory and can create huge
disappointment for people who turn up at the gates of events with their family
and find that their tickets are completely invalid. The act provides the
Commissioner for Consumer Protection with new powers to enforce anti-ticket
scalping measures, including limiting the price of resale tickets to no more
than 10 per cent of their face value. The act also imposes very heavy penalties
of $20 000 for individuals and $100 000 for corporations that breach its
provisions. The penalties are even higher if organisations are found to be
using bots.
The Consumer Protection division has
worked very diligently prior to and since the passing of the act. The commissioner wrote directly to operators of online
ticket selling platforms, including major international platforms, to
advise them of their obligations. Thankfully, even before the legislation was
passed, ticket reseller Viagogo advised the government that it would not be
reselling tickets. That is a huge win and an indication to the sector that it
has to do the right thing.
Consumer Protection directly
monitored local and general online reselling platforms Gumtree and eBay, and
found 45 advertisements attempting to resell AFL tickets for more than 10 per
cent of their original value. A number of resellers were given warnings, to educate
people, and seven noncompliant advertisements were also found on Facebook and Instagram. They were either corrected
or removed. Consumer Protection is considering further action against
recalcitrant offenders who continue to do that. This is a great win for the
act, and the success of this law for this really important event sends a really
strong signal for future events to come.
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