Australian Consumer Law and Competition and Consumer Act Update

With effect from 1 January 2011:

• The name of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (TPA) changed to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA);
• Most of Australia's consumer protection laws have been revised and moved from the state Fair Trading Acts and the body of the TPA to the Australian Consumer Law (ACL); and
• The Australian Consumer Law came into full effect.

The changes affect nearly all businesses and require them to review their documents and conduct in some way. Contraventions of many of the new provisions carry heavy potential penalties.

A summary of key changes is set out set out below. For a detailed summary of the ACL changes click here.

Everything moves! Updating your documents