Deep diveGet chosen · 5 min read · 2 November 2026
Advertising rules
in Australia.
Every ad in Australia falls under the Australian Consumer Law, which bans false or misleading claims and is enforced by the ACCC. Industry rules sit on top: Ahpra for registered health practitioners, the TGA for therapeutic goods, ASIC for financial products and credit, the ABAC Code for alcohol, and the Spam Act for email and SMS. Ad Standards handles complaints against the AANA Code of Ethics. Use the finder on this page to see which apply to your ad.
Written by Dan Picken, a marketer who checks the sources. Last checked 2 November 2026.One law
for every ad.
The base layer is the Australian Consumer Law. It applies to every business, in every medium, including your own website and social posts. The ACCC's guidance is simple: you can't make false or misleading claims about your products, prices or business, and the overall impression counts, not just the literal words.
It has teeth. In April 2025 the Federal Court ordered Clorox to pay $8.25 million over GLAD bags labelled '50% Ocean Plastic'. About half the plastic came from communities up to 50 km from a shoreline, not from the sea.
Everything else on this page sits on top of that law. Following an industry code doesn't excuse a misleading ad.
The overall impression counts, not just the literal words.
Who regulates
what.
Industry rules come from different places: laws, regulator guidelines and industry codes. This is the map. Each industry page on this site goes deeper.
| Who | Covers | Go deeper |
|---|---|---|
| ACCC | Every business: misleading claims, prices, reviews, green claims | E-commerce rules |
| Ad Standards | Complaints about ads in any medium, judged on the AANA Code | This page |
| Ahpra | Registered health practitioners (s 133 of the National Law) | Health rules |
| TGA | Therapeutic goods advertised to the public | Health rules |
| ASIC | Financial products and credit (RG 234) | Finance rules |
| FSANZ | Nutrition and health claims on food (Standard 1.2.7) | Menu rules |
| ABAC | Alcohol marketing | Menu rules |
| ACMA | Email and SMS marketing (Spam Act); gambling ads | LinkedIn messages |
| ASQA | Registered training organisations | RTO rules |
| Law societies | Lawyers (conduct rule 36, plus state laws) | Legal rules |
| State licensing bodies | Licence numbers on trade ads | Trade rules |
| State fundraising laws | Charities and fundraising | Fundraising rules |
Which rules apply
to your ad?
Pick your kind of business, where the ad will run and what it claims. You'll get every rule that applies, each linked to the official source, and the page on this site that covers your industry. Nothing you click leaves your browser.
Rules that apply
2
Checked 2 November 2026. A marketer's map of who to check with, not legal advice.
How Ad Standards
works.
Ad Standards is the industry's self-regulation body. Anyone can complain about an ad, but not anonymously. The complaint is assessed against the codes, the advertiser responds, and the Community Panel decides.
If the panel finds a breach, the advertiser is asked to change or remove the ad and must respond within 5 business days. Either side can ask for an independent review within 10 business days. If an advertiser won't act, Ad Standards can ask the media owner or platform to take the ad down.
In 2024 it received 4,182 complaints, and its panel assessed 299 ads. Sex, sexuality and nudity was the most common issue, at 30.2% of issues raised. Social media ads drew 11% of complaints but 19% of cases.
What's changing,
with dates.
One change has just taken effect and two more are already law. Put the 2027 dates in the calendar.
- Since 1 October 2026: card surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa have been removed. Prices and menus that still show them need updating.
- 1 January 2027: the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026 starts new limits on wagering ads on TV, radio and online, including during live sport and children's programs.
- 1 July 2027: the ban on unfair trading practices starts. Parliament passed it on 2 July 2026. It also requires compulsory fees to be shown upfront and subscriptions to be easy to cancel, for sales to consumers.
Green claims
need proof.
Environmental claims are where the ACCC has been busiest. Its guide for business sets out eight principles, from 'have evidence to back up your claims' to 'visual elements should not give the wrong impression'.
The practical test: could you show the evidence for every word, and every image, if the ACCC asked tomorrow? 'Eco-friendly' on its own rarely passes. 'Made with 30% recycled plastic, certified by a named scheme' can. The full guide has worked examples.
Three myths
worth dropping.
'Ad Standards will fine me.' It doesn't fine. It asks you to change or pull the ad. Fines come from the law, through the ACCC and the courts, which is a much bigger problem.
'It's only my own Facebook page, so it's not advertising.' Your posts, website and social pages are all promotion under the Australian Consumer Law. The same rules apply as for a paid ad.
'NSW bans personal injury ads by lawyers.' Not any more. The Law Society of NSW says the old prohibition isn't in the current law. Other states differ, and NSW's claim farming law still applies, which is why the legal rules page goes state by state.
Your turn
An ad of yours is found in breach by the Ad Standards Community Panel. What happens next?
Ad Standards asks the advertiser to modify or remove the ad and requires a response within 5 business days. It doesn't fine. If an advertiser won't act, it can ask the media owner or platform to take the ad down.
In my experience
The rule breaches I see most often in ad accounts aren't deliberate. They're old: a 'sale' price that's been running for months, a testimonial on a clinic's page that Ahpra's rules don't allow, a surcharge line nobody updated, a 'limited time' offer with no end date. A once-a-quarter read of live ads and landing pages against the rules for your industry catches most of them.
What to do
this week.
Find your rules
Run the finder for each kind of ad you run.
Read the official page
Each rule links to the regulator, not a summary.
Check live ads and pages
Prices, claims, testimonials and offers, against those rules.
Diary the changes
1 January 2027 and 1 July 2027, if they touch your business.
Recheck every quarter
Old ads are where most breaches hide.
Questions
people ask.
Who regulates advertising in Australia?
The ACCC enforces the Australian Consumer Law, which bans false or misleading claims in every ad. Industry regulators add rules for their sectors (Ahpra, TGA, ASIC, ACMA, ASQA), and Ad Standards handles complaints against the industry's codes.
What is misleading advertising under the Australian Consumer Law?
Any claim, picture or overall impression likely to mislead people about your product, price or business. The ACCC's guidance says the overall impression counts, not just the literal words, and small print may not fix a misleading headline.
Can Ad Standards fine you?
No. If its Community Panel upholds a complaint, it asks you to change or remove the ad and to respond within 5 business days. Penalties come through the ACCC and the courts.
How do I complain about an ad?
Lodge it with Ad Standards. You need to give your contact details: it doesn't accept anonymous complaints. For scams or misleading claims that break the law, you can also report it to the ACCC.
Are gambling ads being banned in Australia?
Restricted, not banned outright. New limits on wagering ads on TV, radio and online start on 1 January 2027, including during live sport and children's programs.
Can businesses still charge card surcharges?
Since 1 October 2026, surcharges on eftpos, Mastercard and Visa have been removed. Other fees, like weekend surcharges, aren't affected by that change, but they still need to be shown clearly.
What changed
- First published. Every source checked on the day.
Keep going
Want me to check
yours?
Takes a minute. Audits come back within 1 to 2 business days. For anything else, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
What happens next
- 1I'll ask for read-only access, or just your website for a search audit.
- 2I go through it and write up the 3 biggest fixes.
- 3A 20-minute call to walk you through it. No pitch unless you ask.