The Australian Consumer Law means that all businesses in Australia must follow the same rules, no matter where they operate.
The main rules for business responsibilities are:
Be honest and clear
Businesses must give truthful information about their products, services and prices.
You can’t mislead or deceive customers (consumers).
Respect consumer rights
Businesses must follow the rules on refunds, repairs or replacements.
You can’t refuse a refund just because it’s against a store policy.
Fair contracts
A contract offered by a business should be easy to understand. It shouldn’t include unfair terms or hidden fees.
For more information about complying with the Australian Consumer Law, visit Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Business information
Guides
These guides explain the Australian Consumer Law in plain language for businesses and legal practitioners.
The guides give:
- general information of important parts of the law
- examples of possible situations where the law applies.
They were created by the:
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
- Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and
- state and territory consumer protection agencies.
Note
The guides:
- do not replace the actual law
- are not legal advice or a definitive list of situations where the Australian Consumer Law applies
- are current and correct at date of publishing.
Compliance and enforcement – How regulators enforce the Australian Consumer Law
Covers the ACCC, ASIC and the state and territory consumer protection agencies’ compliance and enforcement approach to administer the Australian Consumer Law.
To read and download the guide, visit ACCC’s Compliance and enforcement – How regulators enforce the Australian Consumer Law
Consumer guarantees – a guide for businesses and legal practitioners
Covers what consumer guarantees apply to goods and services, who is responsible for these guarantees and when remedies, such as refund repair and replacement are available.
To read and download the guide, visit ACCC’s Consumer guarantees – a guide for businesses and legal practitioners
Consumer product safety – A guide for businesses and legal practitioners
Designed to help businesses and legal practitioners understand the consumer product safety requirements of the Australian Consumer Law.
To read and download the guide, visit ACCC Product Safety's Consumer product safety – A guide for businesses and legal practitioners [PDF]
Guidance on the consumer guarantee: Acceptable quality and the meaning of ‘safe’
Designed to help businesses and legal practitioners understand the meaning of ‘safe’ in the context of the acceptable quality consumer guarantee.
To read and download the guide, visit ACCC Product Safety's Product safety as a consumer guarantee
Sales practices – a guide for businesses and legal practitioners
Covers unsolicited supplies, unsolicited consumer agreements, pyramid schemes, multiple pricing, lay-by agreements, referral selling and harassment and coercion.
To read and download the guide, visit ACCC’s Sales practices – a guide for businesses and legal practitioners
Avoiding unfair business practices – a guide for businesses and legal practitioners
Covers misleading or deceptive conduct, unconscionable conduct, false or misleading representations and related offences, information standards and country of origin representations.
To read and download the guide, visit ACCC’s Avoiding unfair business practices – a guide for businesses and legal practitioners
Consumer vulnerability: A business guide to the Australian Consumer Law
Designed to help businesses understand their key responsibilities under the Australian Consumer Law and how to engage with consumers experiencing vulnerability.
To read and download the guide, visit ACCC’s Consumer vulnerability: A business guide to the Australian Consumer Law
A guide to the unfair contract terms law
Assist businesses, legal practitioners and consumer advocates understand the laws by explaining the unfair contract terms laws as simply as possible.
To read and download the guide, visit ACCC’s A guide to the unfair contract terms law