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Australia has no blanket requirement for mandatory pre-market safety testing for many children’s products labelled “3+”, unless a specific hazard standard applies (such as button batteries or magnets).
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Mandatory safety standards primarily apply to toys for children up to and including 36 months, and to products with identified risks such as button batteries or magnets.
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In 2024–25, the ACCC published 248 product recalls, many involving consumer goods that posed potential hazards to children.
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Recent recalls have included asbestos-contaminated children’s sand products and popular retail toys recalled due to serious choking risks.
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Consumer safety advocates and industry experts are calling for stronger mandatory testing requirements and tighter enforcement to prevent unsafe products from reaching shelves and to rebuild consumer confidence.
Australian parents are being met with an ongoing stream of children’s product recalls, yet the underlying issue - a regulatory gap that allows many products onto shelves without mandatory pre-market safety testing - is rarely discussed.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Australia’s consumer and product safety regulator, continues to publish large numbers of recalls each year across categories, including toys and children’s goods.
In the 2024–25 period, the ACCC published 248 product recalls on its Product Safety website, many relating to consumer goods that could pose serious hazards (ACCC, 2025).
Recent toy recalls have included:
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Asbestos-contaminated children’s sand products, including licensed Bluey, Paw Patrol and Frozen 2 activity sets, prompting national warnings and temporary school and childcare closures
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The Anko Pop and Surprise baby toy, sold at major retailers Kmart and Target, recalled due to a serious choking risk after small parts were found to detach
Despite repeated ACCC warnings that recalled products “can cause serious injury or death and should be stopped from use immediately,” unsafe items continue to appear on shop floors and online marketplaces long before intervention occurs.
Sarah James, a parent, former teacher and founder of The Sensory Specialist, which manufactures children’s sensory products and invests heavily in certified safety testing, says the current system is failing everyday families.
“Parents assume that if a product is sold by a major retailer, it’s already been properly tested. That trust is eroding - and unless safety testing becomes non-negotiable rather than ‘best practice’, recalls will keep happening.”
James warns that many products labelled for children, particularly those marked “3+”, do not require mandatory pre-market safety certification under current Australian rules.
“Under Australian product safety law, only toys for children up to and including 36 months,and toys with specific hazards like button batteries or magnets, are subject to mandatory pre-market safety testing. There’s no general mandatory test simply because a toy is labelled ‘3+’, and that gap is exactly how unsafe products still reach shop shelves.”
“This isn’t just about recalls - it’s about consumer confidence. Parents shouldn’t need to research safety after the fact; they should be able to trust what’s already on the shelf.”
As recalls continue to mount, James says regulators and policymakers must consider stronger mandatory testing requirements and closer enforcement to rebuild consumer confidence and better protect Australian children.
About us:
For further information:
About Us: https://www.thesensoryspecialist.com.au/pages/about-the-sensory-specialist
Press Kit: https://www.thesensoryspecialist.com.au/a/press-kit
Contact details:
For interview or comment:
Sarah James:
Ph: 0415 706 205
email: [email protected]
