Consumer protection is about more than fakes

Most measures to "ensure consumer protection" focus on sale of sub-standard or fake products. But this obsession with fighting counterfeits, and ignoring other issues, is evidence of a flawed approach geared to protect business, not consumers. It is time for change that includes real protection on goods and services, both imitated and ‘authentic’.

We welcome inclusion of consumer rights in the Harmonised Draft Constitution. The proposed Bill of Rights, if backed by laws as expected, will ensure companies only offer goods and services of reasonable quality, with fair, honest advertising. The enforcement agencies looking out for consumers will be expected to go beyond health and safety issues to protecting their economic interests. If this takes hold, it would be a sea change in protection, ending the exploitation or defrauding of the masses in many industries.