Is your ad
within the rules?

The Australian Consumer Law applies to every business, whatever you sell. The ACCC judges an ad on the overall impression it creates, not on whether each word is technically true. A headline that misleads can't be rescued by fine print underneath it.

Prices get the most attention. The ACCC's guidance on price displays says a 'was' price must be one you really charged, and a weekly or monthly price needs the total shown as clearly. Deadlines and limited stock must be real too, or the ad can be bait advertising.

Two more catch people out. 'No refunds' can mislead, because consumer guarantees can't be signed away. And reviews must be genuine and unedited, with any connection disclosed, under the ACCC's online reviews guidance.

Health and dental: section 133 of the National Law bans testimonials, unreasonable expectations of benefit, and offers without their terms. Ahpra says 'specialist' is likely to mislead without specialist registration.

Medicines: the TGA says most cosmetic injectables can't be advertised to the public, and that covers nicknames, abbreviations, hashtags and prices. It applies to any business that mentions them, not only clinics.

Finance: ASIC's RG 234, updated in June 2026, needs a comparison rate with any interest rate in a credit ad, rules out 'guaranteed approval', and restricts 'independent' where commissions are paid.

NDIS: the NDIA doesn't approve or endorse any products or services, so 'NDIS approved' is likely to breach the consumer law. The ACCC adds that nothing is automatically funded for every participant.

Education and legal: ASQA's practice guide says RTO marketing shows the registration code, and doesn't guarantee completion or a job. For solicitors, rule 36 bars a false impression of specialist expertise (Queensland's guidance says the same).

Some rules change at the state border. The checker uses the NSW rule first, because that's where I'm based, then points you to the other states.

Building and trades: NSW building trade ads in print, on the internet and elsewhere must show the licensee's name, the licence number with the category of work, and a business phone number. Queensland, Victoria and the rest have their own versions, and the trades advertising rules page covers each one.

Liquor: NSW lists promotions to avoid, including free drinks or happy hours that encourage rapid drinking, all you can drink in a limited time, multiple shots, drinking games, and anything that appeals to minors.

Real estate: for agency agreements signed on or after 17 November 2026, NSW residential sale ads must show a price or price range, online, social and email ads included, and the price can't be below the agent's estimate. Other states have their own underquoting rules: see real estate advertising rules.

Facebook and Instagram add their own layer. Meta's advertising standards don't allow ads that assert or imply personal attributes such as health, finances or disability. 'Struggling with back pain?' is the classic rejection. 'Back pain physio in Gosford' says the same thing about the service, not the reader.

Email and SMS fall under the Spam Act. Commercial messages need consent, your business name and a working unsubscribe, and unsubscribe requests must be actioned within five working days. Tick the box and the checker looks for the opt-out line.

Google Ads has policies of its own, and for some industries they're stricter than the law. The checker doesn't cover them. Your account's policy notices will.

'Fix' means the wording matches something a regulator has named as a problem. 'Check' means the wording can be fine in the right context and needs a second look: a 'was' price is fine if you really charged it.

The checker reads words and nothing else. It can't see your images, your targeting, the page the ad sends people to, or whether a claim is true. A clean result means no common problem words, not a compliant ad.

If you're in a regulated industry and the ad matters, get it reviewed by someone qualified. Ahpra itself says it cannot give advertisers legal advice about their advertising, and that advertisers should seek their own independent advice.