Consumer law (ACL)
Australian Consumer Law obligations covering consumer guarantees, unfair contract terms, product safety and recalls, misleading conduct, and pricing practices.
7
Obligations
1
Regulators
8
Recent enforcement
Regulators
Obligations (7)
- criticalCWLTHcurrentButton + coin battery safety standard (mandatory)
Suppliers of products containing button + coin batteries must meet 2022 mandatory standard.
- criticalCWLTHcurrentComply with mandatory product safety standards + bans (ACL)
Schedule 2 ACL — suppliers must comply with mandatory product safety standards + permanent bans.
- highCWLTHcurrentNotify ACCC of a voluntary recall within 2 days
Suppliers must notify the ACCC within 2 days of initiating a voluntary consumer product recall.
- highCWLTHcurrentAvoid 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).
- highCWLTHcurrentCountry of Origin Labelling for food (CoOL Information Standard)
Food sold in Australia must carry country-of-origin labelling per the 2016 Information Standard.
- highCWLTHcurrentHonour consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law
Goods and services supplied to consumers come with automatic statutory guarantees that cannot be excluded.
- mediumCWLTHcurrentLoyalty programs must comply with ACL transparency + UCT
Loyalty program T&Cs governed by ACL — UCT regime + misleading conduct.
Recent enforcement
- fsanzrecall coordination2024Food recalls coordinated by FSANZ 2024
FSANZ coordinated multiple food recalls during 2024 — undeclared allergens, microbial contamination, foreign matter.
- accccourt judgment2024ACCC v Bunnings (lowest prices guaranteed)
ACCC investigation into Bunnings' 'lowest prices are just the beginning' representations — comparative pricing claims and price-matching policy applicability.
- accccourt judgment2024ACCC v Coles Supermarkets and Woolworths (prices)
ACCC alleges both supermarkets engaged in misleading conduct by raising prices then lowering them to appear as 'Down Down' or 'Prices Dropped' specials.
- tgarecall2024TGA cancellations + recalls — medical devices 2024
Multiple medical device recalls + ARTG cancellations following post-market surveillance findings — orthopaedic implants, breast implants, surgical mesh-related.
- accccivil penalty$40.0M2024ACCC v IAG (pricing discounts misleading)
IAG made misleading representations that NRMA Insurance loyalty discounts would apply, when discount calculations in fact eroded over time.
- accccivil penalty$12.5M2024ACCC v Mercedes-Benz Australia / Pacific (Takata airbags)
Mercedes failed to communicate to consumers the seriousness of recalled Takata airbag inflators and made misleading representations about the urgency of replacement.
- acccrecall compliance2023ACCC product safety — vehicle recalls (Takata airbags)
ACCC monitored 3M+ Takata airbag recalls across Australian vehicles, with completion rates reported quarterly.
- accccivil penalty$60.0M2022ACCC v Google LLC (location data)
Google misled Android users about the personal location data it collected, retained, and used by representing that the Location History setting controlled all location collection when other settings also collected data.