An adventure technology vendor has put its hoverboards back on Harvey Norman shelves, four weeks after the toys were temporarily banned by the government.
Kaiser Baas said its Revo Glider electric scooter, or ‘hoverboard’, was compliant with the safety specifications that were announced last month.
Minister for small business Kelly O’Dwyer placed a 60-day interim ban on hoverboard sales on 18 March after revealing she had received advice that unsafe hoverboards “create an imminent risk of death or serious injury”.
“The interim ban sets out the safety requirements for batteries and battery control systems that hoverboards must meet in order to be sold in Australia,” O’Dwyer said at the time.
“If a supplier’s hoverboards do not meet those requirements, they are unable to sell the product during the interim ban period.”
Kaiser Baas said the Revo Glider is back on sale at Harvey Norman and other outlets after meeting the safety standards.
Managing director Evan Kourambas said that while the government was right to focus on hoverboard safety, the interim ban had failed to solve the problem.
“The announced ban has directly affected legitimate small business operators and retailers who are credible and spend thousands of dollars to ensure all safety standards are met to all legal requirements,” he said.
“The ban unfortunately does not affect the rogue traders who are often untraceable and sell inferior products through online channels such as eBay and Gumtree.”
Kourambas said all the hoverboards that had caught fire in Australia had been unbranded units that were purchased online through unknown sources. “Not one has been linked to a legitimate business,” he added.
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