22 November 2018

Commencement of the review of UCTs for small businesses

The Morrison Government is undertaking a review of the current legislative protections provided to small businesses regarding unfair contract terms (UCTs), as part of the Government’s dedication to ensuring small businesses are effectively protected.

Feedback received will assist the Government to determine whether the legislative protections are performing as intended and whether enhancements are required to the UCT regime to ensure appropriate protections are afforded to small businesses.

A discussion paper published on the Treasury website invites submissions from small businesses and other stakeholders to share their experiences with the small business UCT protection framework.
The paper seeks views on the thresholds to which the protections apply; the coverage of standard form contracts in the legislation; whether exemptions from the protections remain appropriate; and the overall effect of the UCT regime.

I encourage all stakeholders to make a submission and engage with Treasury to express their views and suggestions on the framework for protection for UCTs for small businesses.