The State-wide Equipment Program has received independent advice that many Strollers on the Australian market may not be compliant to mandatory Australian Standards.
Strollers are required to be compliant to AS/NZS 2088:2000 (Prams and Strollers - Safety Requirements), however it appears most testing of strollers is to AS/NZS 3695.1:2011 (Wheelchairs - Requirements and test methods for manual wheelchairs).
SWEP has placed all stroller applications on hold, including those currently waitlisted, until documentation that the strollers prescribed, meet the applicable Australian Standard
You can access further information concerning the mandatory standard and its requirements at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Product Safety Australia website:
https://www.productsafety.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/974064#toc14
The ACCC's "Product Safety Prams and Strollers Supplier guide" provides a very clear and accessible explanation of the requirement to the mandatory standard, identifies who it applies to and outlines penalties for non-compliance:
As it is mandatory Australia-wide, SWEP is unable to subsidise strollers that are not demonstrated to comply.
All relevant suppliers of strollers have been contacted and asked to provide documentation that their Strollers meet the mandatory standard. Upon receiving confirmation of compliance, stroller applications will be re-instated.
If compliance is not demonstrated, the stroller application will be declined and the prescriber notified. A list of compliant strollers will be circulated and posted on the SWEP web-site as soon as possible.
Any enquiries should be directed to Jody Nicholson, Manager Aids & Equipment Children, jodyn@bhs.org.au
