Retail trade compliance in Victoria

Notify the OAIC and affected individuals of eligible data breaches

Eligible data breaches must be notified to OAIC and affected individuals 'as soon as practicable'.

Comply with Heavy Vehicle Chain of Responsibility (CoR)

Every party in the heavy vehicle supply chain has a positive duty under HVNL.

Food and Grocery Code of Conduct (now mandatory)

Major supermarkets bound by mandatory Code with civil penalties from April 2025.

Notify ACCC of a voluntary recall within 2 days

Suppliers must notify the ACCC within 2 days of initiating a voluntary consumer product recall.

Comply with the Spam Act 2003 (consent, identify, unsubscribe)

All commercial electronic messages must have consent, identify the sender, and offer a working unsubscribe.

Wash outbound marketing lists against the Do Not Call Register

Lists must be washed within 30 days of the call/SMS unless valid consent.

Comply with Plain English Allergen Labelling (PEAL)

From 25 February 2026, allergen labelling must use plain English and a standardised format.

Wine Equalisation Tax (WET) for producers + wholesalers

WET at 29% on wine wholesale value; rebate scheme up to $350K per producer.

Country of Origin Labelling for food (CoOL Information Standard)

Food sold in Australia must carry country-of-origin labelling per the 2016 Information Standard.

Implement Food Safety Management Tool (Standard 3.2.2A)

Category 1 food businesses must use a Food Safety Management Tool to verify critical controls.

Comply with the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code

Advertising of therapeutic goods to consumers must comply with the TGA Advertising Code and prohibited representations.

Hold organic certification before claiming 'organic'

Use of 'organic' on food labels requires certification by an accredited certifier under NASAA / ACO.

Publish a Privacy Policy compliant with APP 1

Every APP entity needs a clearly-expressed Privacy Policy covering APP 1.4 requirements.

Avoid unfair contract terms in standard form consumer & small business contracts

From November 2023, unfair contract terms carry pecuniary penalties — up to $100M per term (from 28 March 2026).

Honour consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law

Goods and services supplied to consumers come with automatic statutory guarantees that cannot be excluded.