Office of Fair Trading

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) aims to deliver a fair and safe marketplace for Queensland consumers and businesses. We do this by:

supplying information and advice about rights and responsibilities
enforcing consumer protection laws
helping resolve marketplace disputes
licensing a range of occupations
investigating unfair business practices
prosecuting unscrupulous businesses
supplying information about product safety
registering incorporated associations, charities and cooperatives.

Services

Visit the OFT website to learn about the services we offer.

Structure

Executive Director for the Office of Fair Trading

Craig Turner, Executive Director, OFT sitting at a work desk, smiling at the camera — *Craig Turner, Executive Director, OFT*

Craig Turner is the Executive Director of OFT. He oversees OFT’s work and has administrative responsibility for a wide range of legislation, including the Australian Consumer Law (Queensland).

Craig began his career in the former Office of Consumer Affairs (now OFT) before moving into gaming regulation in the mid-1990s. Since then, Craig has worked in a variety of regulatory roles, including operational and senior managerial positions in inspections, investigations, audit, licensing and policy.

Craig brings his extensive management and regulatory experience to OFT and is committed to ensuring markets are safe, fair and responsible by empowering consumers and ensuring traders understand their responsibilities.

Branches

OFT comprises the following operational branches.

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Investigations and Enforcement

The following units make up the Investigations and Enforcement branch.

Financial and Major Investigations

This unit handles large investigations that involve:

systemic and serious misconduct by traders causing large-scale loss for consumers
businesses that are repeatedly offending
working with other agencies, including interstate or federal agencies
claims of inappropriate use of trust account money by businesses and licensees in a range of regulated industries.

Marketplace Investigations

This unit:

investigates if a business has breached fair trading laws
enforces fair trading laws in court or in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).

Consumer Product Safety

This unit:

educates the public about choosing safe products and using them safely
investigates businesses that are selling unsafe products
removes unsafe products from sale.

Enforcement Group

This unit:

provides statewide recommendations about
- investigation processes, enforcement procedures and briefs of evidence
- sufficiency of evidence to commence legal proceedings
- drafting court documents
reports and advises on the progress of legal proceedings
appears on behalf of OFT investigators in the Magistrates Court and the Chief Executive, Department of Justice and Attorney-General (DJAG) in QCAT disciplinary matters
administers penalty infringement notices.

Complaint and Program Coordination

The following units make up the Complaint and Program Coordination branch.

Case Assessment, Response and Trust Accounts

This unit:

manages consumer complaints
provides information and advice to consumers and traders about marketplace issues and complying with requirements
works with consumers and businesses to negotiate solutions to disputes
examines and assesses trust account audit reports to decide whether auditors and agents have met their obligations under the Agents Financial Administration Act 2014
investigates low-level breaches of fair trading laws and undertakes enforcement action where appropriate
communicates with trust account auditors and/or agents.

Program Strategy and Development

This unit:

plans and schedules spot checks and other proactive compliance activities
manages the complaints database and reports on complaints
researches matters affecting industry compliance
analyses marketplace research and intelligence
trains OFT compliance officers.

Regional Operations and Engagement

The following units make up the Regional Operations and Engagement branch.

Regional Operations

This unit provides OFT services from our regional offices in:

Cairns
Hervey Bay
Mackay
Maroochydore
Rockhampton
Southport
Toowoomba
Townsville.

Community and Stakeholder Education and Engagement Team

This unit:

runs awareness programs for consumers and community groups
visits schools to educate students about consumer laws
educates businesses about how to follow the law
runs the Buy Smart Competition to educate students about marketplace issues and consumer rights.

Industry Licensing and Registrations

The following units make up the Industry Licensing and Registrations branch.

Industry Licensing

This unit processes licence and registration applications from:

real estate agents
motor dealers
security providers
auctioneers
second-hand dealers and pawnbrokers
tattoo salon operators and tattooists
debt collectors and process servers (commercial agents)
introduction agents
inbound tour operators.

Registration Services

This unit:

registers incorporated associations, charities, cooperatives and limited partnerships
processes land sales exemptions
reviews annual returns
handles claims made against the Funeral Benefit Trust Fund.

Claims and Recoveries

This unit:

processes claims made under the Agents Financial Administration Act
decides claims or refers them to QCAT for a decision
pays the claim amount to consumers (when a claim is decided in their favour)
recovers money from at-fault businesses or licensees.

Publications

Outcomes report

The outcomes report provides an overview of OFT’s strategies, functions and activities throughout the year. It highlights where we focused our resources, and the results we achieved.

Regulator performance report

The Regulator performance report 2022–23 outlines how OFT is implementing the 5 model practices in the Queensland Government’s Regulator Performance Framework.

Under the framework regulators must report publicly on the extent to which they are implementing the 5 model practices.

In previous years this report was published as an annexure to the outcomes report. From 2022 this report will be a standalone document.

More information

Visit the OFT website.
Access the Australian Consumer Law year in review reports.

Last updated:: 16 January 2024