Australian Consumer Law changes – Be prepared

Business owners should consider what action they need to take to ensure they are compliant with recent and upcoming changes to the Australian Consumer Law.

Background

It has been more than 10 years since the commencement of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (the Act), which introduced consistent consumer protection laws across Australia.

Schedule 2 of the Act is the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), which provides a number of safeguards to consumers when purchasing certain goods and services.

Since 1986, a person has been a "consumer" under the ACL if:

1. the amount payable for the goods or services in question does not exceed $40,000; or
2. if the amount payable is greater than $40,000, then the goods or services were of a kind ordinarily acquired for personal, domestic or household use or consumption.