Lithium ION Battery Fires
14th March 2024
Mr GREG PIPER (Lake Macquarie) (18:12): In the early hours of Thursday 29 February a tragedy occurred in the suburb of Teralba in Lake Macquarie. At around 4.00 a.m. a fire broke out at a townhouse complex on Railway Street, claiming the lives of two people. Although I understand the victims are still to be formally identified, they are believed to be Therese Harris of Teralba and Patricia Kerr of Dudley. Ms Harris and Ms Kerr were much loved mothers, grandmothers and friends. Their passing has left a huge hole in the hearts and lives of their families and their communities. I offer my condolences to Ms Harris and Ms Kerr's families and loved ones. Their lives were tragically taken to soon.
Approximately 50 firefighters attended and battled the fire, which was reported to be volatile and intense. I express my gratitude to the firefighters, police and emergency services personnel who attended the scene. The attending firefighters, as they are often called to do, put their own lives in danger by entering the burning building to try to locate the residents believed to be inside. Unfortunately, as internal structures began to collapse around them, the firefighters' ability to access the unit was impeded. While two residents were able to escape, tragically two bodies, believed to be Ms Harris and Ms Kerr, were later recovered. While an investigation is underway to identify the cause of the blaze, Fire and Rescue NSW has stated that it appears to have been a lithium ion battery fire. If that is the case then they are New South Wales' first recorded deaths due to a lithium ion battery fire.
Concerns around the risks of lithium ion batteries have been building for some time. According to Fire and Rescue NSW statistics, there have been 45 fires related to lithium ion batteries in New South Wales this year. That is more than five per week. I acknowledge that the Joint Standing Committee on Road Safety is currently conducting an inquiry examining the management of the safety risks arising from electric and hybrid vehicle batteries. I look forward to its report.
In October 2023 the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission [ACCC] produced a report on lithium ion batteries and consumer product safety. The report acknowledged the growing market for lithium ion batteries, both in Australia and globally, fuelled by the growth in demand for consumer electronics. Consumer electronic devices, including electronic scooters and bikes, do not appear to fall within the current terms of reference for the joint standing committee.
The ACCC report made a number of recommendations, including for coordinated incident data collection, consumer guidance and community education. Importantly, one of the recommendations related to regulatory frameworks for electrical consumer products. The regulatory system for consumer electrical goods is understandably complex, yet I was surprised to find out that there appears to be no single mandatory safety standard for lithium ion batteries and products in Australia. I was also surprised to learn that in most States extra-low-voltage lithium battery operated products, including some e-bikes and e-scooters, fall outside of the electrical equipment safety systems in place.
Several Australian and international standards-making bodies publish voluntary standards, but it can be very unclear to consumers what the standards mean or which standard is the most appropriate. We live in a truly global consumer market, so it does not make sense that each State in Australia would have a different electrical safety framework. New South Wales consumers should have confidence in the testing and certification of the Australian lithium ion battery products they purchase. One would be hard pressed to find a New South Wales household that does not have a lithium ion battery or product in this day and age—e-bikes, e-scooters, electrical gardening equipment, cordless tools, laptops, phones and cars. They are now a ubiquitous part of modern life. While such products absolutely improve our lives, it is apparent that they also increase the risks to households and to our emergency responders.
Today I call for more community education about the risks of lithium ion batteries and products and how those risks can be managed in New South Wales homes. I also call for the ACCC recommendations around the harmonisation of the State regulatory framework for electrical consumer goods to be investigated and implemented as a matter of urgency. Two avoidable deaths in New South Wales from lithium ion batteries is too many. We must do everything we can to ensure that the tragic deaths of the victims of the Teralba fire are a catalyst for improvements in our regulatory framework for electrical consumer goods in New South Wales.