After a tumultuous three years, the WA State Parliament will implement new legislation to allow renters to fix furniture to walls to prevent death or injury to children from toppling furniture have passed through State Parliament. The Consumer Protection Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 amends the Residential Tenancies Act and means landlords must allow tenants, who submit a request form, to attach furniture to a wall to prevent a child, or a person with a disability, from being hurt or killed. Owners can only refuse the form request in very limited circumstances, such as when the home is heritage-listed or if the walls contain asbestos. Tenants who attach furniture to walls will have to repair the wall at the end of the tenancy agreement. The heartbreaking death of Yokine toddler, Reef Kite, sparked this conversation in October 2015, encouraging the relevant bodies to change the current restrictions for tenants in order to prevent further tragic accidents.
Reef’s mother, Sky Quartermaine opened up about her horror loss and her fight to ‘Bolt it Back’, saying “we’ve got to keep spreading the message to ‘bolt it back’. Reef must have climbed up the drawers and I lost my child as a result. Don’t be complacent.”
The bill being introduced by Acting Commerce and Industrial Relations Minister Fran Logan is now known as ‘Reef’s Law’. Coroner Sarah Linton recommended that permissions needed to change, stating that Reef’s death was preventable. Her inquest urged the WA Government to update the current laws, saying tenants should have the right to undertake this action, “affixing a fixture if it relates to anchoring a television or item of furniture to a wall for the purposes of child safety”.
The inquest and encouragement on this matter were supported by KidSafe WA stating that changes needed to be made to secure heavy furniture that could result in serious harm. All parties were urging for the change, saying that this would be vital in reducing possible accidents and deaths.
Research has shown that since 2001, 22 Australian children have died from injuries sustained through furniture falling on to them. All of these children were aged under nine years old.
Mr Logan, introducing the bill, is adamant that this safety concern is one that must be addressed, stating “anchoring furniture can save a child’s life”. Landlords will only be able to refuse a tenant’s request to affix furniture or TVs if the property is heritage listed or an asbestos risk. Additionally, Mr Logan advised that the changes to the Residential Tenancies Act would allow for the anchoring, however they must repair any damages caused through the process.
Ms Quartermaine, who had advocated for these changes since her tragic loss has said “a hole in the wall can be patched easily, but you can’t replace a child’s life, you can’t fix the hole in your heart”. She has welcomed the news of the legislation wholeheartedly, wanting no other family to have to endure the tragedy theirs did.
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