Retailer slapped with 130 charges over sale of electrical goods

Energy Safe Victoria has charged a budget retailer with breaching the Electricity Safety Act 1998 by offering to supply a variety of in-scope electrical equipment — such as lamps, power boards, adaptors, USB chargers and furniture with built-in power supplies — that did not comply with mandatory electrical safety requirements.

Many of the items were not marked with the required Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) indicating a product meets Australian standards.

Under Australia’s national Electrical Equipment Safety System (EESS), ‘in-scope electrical equipment’ refers to everyday electrical products designed for household and personal use.

The retailer, Panda Mart, is facing 130 charges for electrical safety offences related to allegedly stocking dozens of dangerous household electrical goods, some of which posed a risk of electrocution to consumers, in March 2025.

Under the EESS, in-scope electrical equipment is regulated under a national safety system and is classified into three levels based on potential risk. These ratings are 1 (low), 2 (medium) and 3 (high).

To sell these items in Victoria, businesses must be registered as a Responsible Supplier and ensure the products are safe, compliant and carry the RCM. Suppliers must also register any level 2 or 3 in-scope equipment on the database. Energy Safe alleges that when the electrical products were for sale, Panda Mart was not registered as a ‘Responsible Supplier’ on the EESS as required.

Energy Safe’s investigation followed a tip-off by a New Zealand regulator about possible non-compliant electrical products being sold by Panda Mart.

In March 2025, Energy Safe enforcement officers and equipment safety compliance engineers inspected the retailer’s Cranbourne store and Dandenong warehouse. They seized more than 50 models of desk and table lamps with suspected safety hazards, including some with inadequate insulation and exposed live parts, which if touched could have caused an electric shock.

On 27 March 2025, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) facilitated a voluntary recall of the affected lamp products. Energy Safe issued a Prohibition Notice on 18 July 2025 banning Panda Mart from supplying portable lamps in Victoria unless the regulator first confirms the products meet relevant standards.

In Victoria, it is illegal to supply appliances that do not meet safety standards due to the serious risk of injury to consumers. At the time of offending, each charge carried a maximum penalty of almost $50,000 under the Electricity Safety Act 1998.

Panda Mart is due to face Frankston Magistrates’ Court on 19 February 2026.

Image credit: iStock.com/busra İspir