Commonwealth, State and Territory Consumer Affairs Ministers met on Friday 21 November 2025 to renew their commitment to a strong national consumer protection framework.
Ministers attending the meeting, chaired by Commonwealth Assistant Minister the Hon Andrew Leigh MP, acknowledged the substantial progress on key reforms to the Australian Consumer Law over the past year, including work to strengthen consumer guarantees, address unfair trading practices, and make products safer and cheaper for consumers through easier recognition of trusted overseas product safety standards.
At the meeting, Ministers also heard directly from Consumers’ Federation of Australia, the peak body representing consumer advocates nationwide, to gain deeper insight into the key issues facing consumers and explore priority opportunities for policy and legislative reform.
Ministers agreed that consumer priorities for 2026 will include:
- progressing nation‑wide reforms to protect consumers from unfair trading practices,
- introducing prohibitions and penalties to enhance the effectiveness of the consumer guarantees and supplier indemnification regime
- focussing on addressing risks associated with unsafe products such as lithium‑ion batteries and e‑micro mobility devices (such as e‑scooters and e‑bikes)
- identifying opportunities to strengthen Australia’s product safety framework
- continuing implementation of the Scams Prevention Framework, and efforts across governments, including with the New Zealand government, to make Australia and New Zealand harder targets for scammers, with a particular focus on property payment redirection scams.
Ministers also acknowledged the potential for unfair trading protections to be extended beyond consumers to small businesses and the financial sector, with more work on this to take place during 2026.
In relation to identifying options to strengthen the ACL product safety framework, Ministers agreed to review opportunities for enhanced national collaboration around emerging safety issues, such as the recent issue of asbestos in children’s sand products.
Ministers responsible for consumer affairs and electrical safety highlighted the importance of cooperating on the regulation of household electrical consumer products and have committed to meet on an ongoing basis to oversee and monitor implementation of agreed reforms including investigating risk‑based regulation of extra‑low voltage electrical products (such as certain lithium‑ion batteries). The Commonwealth Treasury has convened a working group of state and territory policy and regulatory officials to support implementation of the agreed reforms, working in close collaboration with officials from transport and infrastructure departments. Consumer Ministers also considered recommendations presented by the Cross‑Jurisdictional Working Group on the safe use of lithium‑ion battery powered e‑micromobility vehicles.
Ministers also discussed a range of other issues including safety concerns around asbestos in children’s sand, misleading claims around fur products and risks associated with rewards club promotions.
Ministers and MPs attending the meeting included:
- Commonwealth – The Hon Andrew Leigh, MP, Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury
- ACT – Ms Tara Cheyne MLA, Attorney‑General in the ACT
- NSW – The Hon Anoulack Chanthivong MP, Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading
- QLD – The Hon Deb Frecklington MP, Attorney‑General
- TAS – The Hon Guy Barnett MP, Minister for Small Business, Trade and Consumer Affairs
- VIC – The Hon Nick Staikos MP, Minister for Consumer Affairs
- WA – Mr Hugh Jones MLA, representing the Hon Dr Tony Buti MLA, Attorney‑General
Senior departmental officials attending the meeting included:
- Ms Gina Cass‑Gottlieb, Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC),
- Ms Catrionia Lowe, Deputy Chair of the ACCC
- Mr Alan Kirkland, Commissioner of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission
- Mr Brett Humphrey, South Australia Commissioner of Consumer Affairs, representing the Hon Andrea Michaels MP, Minister for Consumer and Business Affairs
- Ms Traci Keys, Northern Territory Commissioner of Consumer Affairs, representing the Hon Marie‑Clare Boothby MLA, Attorney‑General
Quote attributable to Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, Andrew Leigh MP
“Consumer Affairs Ministers are committed to working together to deliver meaningful reform to the Australian Consumer Law and improve consumer protections at a state, territory and national level.”