NEW LAW Starting July 2012 in Qld Australia Preventing Door to Door Sales

by Hopscotch 34 Replies latest jw friends

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  Hopscotch

  I just read this in our local newspaper this morning and thought it is very interesting. This law is aimed at door to door marketing by companies but I am wondering if this may end up including religious 'sales persons'. The comments below the story are worth reading as JW's and religious callers are definitely who many people want stopped under this new law.

  Here's some of the article:

  Do Not Knock sticker to stop door-to-door sellers under new laws

  • Daryl Passmore
  • From: The Sunday Mail (Qld)
  • April 08, 2012 12:00AM

  ANNOYING door-to-door salespeople will soon be stopped from hounding householders.

  Under new laws to take effect mid-year, a simple "Do Not Knock'' sticker will be enough to prevent marketers from entering a property and pestering the occupants. Salespeople who ignore the signs will face prosecution, a range of fines and other penalties.
  
  The stickers are already available from the Queensland Government and consumer groups, but there is uncertainty over their legal force...............

  .......... Whatever the outcome, all doubt will be removed by July 1 - the target date for states to implement the new National Energy Customer Framework which includes greater consumer protections.
  
  Queensland Consumers' Association spokesman Ian Jarratt said the new legislation strengthened existing Queensland codes by stating clearly that marketers must obey the stickers.
  
  Pressure is also growing for a national "Do Not Knock'' register similar to the existing "Do Not Call'' register which prevents unsolicited telephone marketing.

  New research shows 85 per cent of people support the idea of such a national register.

  -------------------------

  Here is the link to the whole article and the comments:

  Story about new Door to Door Laws

  Hopscotch
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  cantleave

  Interesting to see where this puts the JW's.
• 

  Morbidzbaby

  Unfortunately...I already know the scripture that they JW's will use in their defense of going against this law. "We are not peddlers of the Word". In other words "We're not SELLING anything". They're considered a non-profit (and non-prophet) organization. Many don't even ask for the donation anymore.

  If they were to re-write it to include all types of door-to-door activity, that would include things like church groups and the like. I kind of wish they'd do that around here. My only thing is that organizations such as Girl Scouts might be affected, but as far as I've seen they do more sales through family and their parents' coworkers than actual door-to-door sales.
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  LostGeneration

  Do they have set prices for the literature in Australia or do they go with the "donation arrangement"?
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  Hopscotch

  Lost Generation - the literature is 'sold' under the donation arrangement.

  Hopscotch
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  Morbidzbaby

  @ Hopscotch, then as far as I can see, they can easily skirt around this law by saying they aren't selling, there's no set price, and that if the homeowner is INCLINED to donate, they are willing to accept it.
• 

  James Penton

  I do not know much about Australian law, but they have a Bill of Rights based on the American bill. While I know people don't like to be pestered, I am alway afraid that such laws will be used to curb freedom of speech. Right now governments all over the world are restricting the use of various freedoms and are listening in to what is on the Internet. Curiously, Americans think it a big deal to carry around guns, but don't seem to recognize that other forms of freedoms are being limited both by the right and by the left, but much more by the right.
• 

  Wizard of Oz

  @James Penton....I do not know much about Australian law, but they have a Bill of Rights based on the American bill.

  Oh NO we don't. Big mistake; made by many people, our constitution, system of government & rule of law is based on the British model.

  And the way I understand it is this; until we vote to form a republic there will be no chance of a bill of rights here!!!

  SAD but TRUE unfortunately
• 

  mP

  woz

  republicanism is not related to a bill of rights. the magna carta is a bill of rights and australia already has similar safe guards in the constitution.
• 

  Broken Promises

  Do they have set prices for the literature in Australia or do they go with the "donation arrangement"?

  Up until July 2000 there were set prices. In July 2000 a Goods and Sales Tax (GST) was introduced by the Aust govt for everything sold in Australia, so when that happened, the magazines started to be offered on a "donation" arrangement.

  I do not know much about Australian law, but they have a Bill of Rights based on the American bill.

  This reminds me of a saying: It's better to be thought an idiot, than to open your mouth and prove it beyond doubt.