Every Australian business has the same rights and responsibilities under the Australian Consumer Law.  By knowing your rights and responsibilities, you can look after your business and your customers.

ACL guides

There are six guides to the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), developed by Australia’s consumer protection agencies to help businesses understand their responsibilities under the law.

These guides:

• explain the law in simple language, but are no substitute for the legislation
• give general information and examples—not legal advice or a definitive list of situations where the law applies
• include examples of the ACL’s application by Australian Consumer Protection regulators and by Australian courts. 

The guides in this series cover:

Consumer guarantees 

Covers supplier, manufacturer and importer responsibilities when there is a problem with goods and services; refunds, replacements, repairs and other remedies.

Sales practices

Covers unsolicited supplies, unsolicited consumer agreements (door-to-door and telemarketing), lay-by agreements, pricing, proof of transaction and itemised bills, referral selling, pyramid schemes, harassment and coercion. 

Unfair contract terms

Covers what an unfair term is and which contracts are affected by the law.

Avoiding unfair business practices

Covers misleading or deceptive conduct, unconscionable conduct, country of origin, false and misleading representations.

Compliance and enforcement 

Covers how regulators enforce the ACL. 

Consumer product safety 

Covers safety standards, recalls, bans, safety warning notices and mandatory reporting requirements.

Further information and copies of these and other publications are available from the Australian Consumer Law website.

Industry guides

The Australian Consumer Law (ACL) is Australia’s national law for fair trading and consumer protection and replaced previous consumer protection laws in the Commonwealth, states and territories.

The ACL applies at the Commonwealth level and in each state and territory. The guides below provide specific information on the ACL for the following industries:

• Consumer advice on sharing economy
• Platform Operators in the Sharing Economy
• The Sharing Economy: A guide for private traders

Other helpful guides on the ACL 

The following were developed to help businesses understand and meet the ACL

• and your business 
• Unsolicited selling (door to door)
• Dispute with a business

The following information sheets were developed for consumers to help them understand the ACL:

• at your home
• at the shops
• and your safety

Complaints guides for business and consumers may also be of use.