Identifying product-specific requirements before ordering

Before placing a sourcing order for supply in Australia, describe the finished product and how it will be supplied. Search the ACCC Product Safety website at productsafety.gov.au for mandatory standards and banned products, then check whether a specialist regulator also has a role.

Record the product details you checked and why each potential requirement does or does not apply. A supplier’s general claim that a product is “compliant” does not identify the Australian requirement considered.

Describe the product you will sell

Record intended use, users, materials, components, power source where relevant, variants, accessories and sales claims. Include the finished product, not only its main component, and note differences between versions that could affect classification.

Before ordering, ask the supplier to confirm the proposed manufacturing specification for the product you intend to buy. Keep the planned listing, instructions and relevant packaging information with that specification where they affect how the product will be supplied or described.

Check the relevant rules

Search the ACCC Product Safety website for mandatory standards and banned products. Check the scope, definitions, requirements and effective dates of any result that could cover the product. A search result identifies a possibility; the product description and the rule’s scope determine whether it applies.

For example, the ACCC Product Safety search says a new toppling furniture mandatory standard started on 4 May 2025. Its banned-products search identifies baby bottle self-feeding devices as banned because of the risk of injury or death. Check the scope and definitions against your product rather than relying on a broad category name.

The Australian Consumer Law (ACL), in Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, sets obligations for suppliers. Under the ACL, suppliers must not supply goods that fail a relevant mandatory standard; suppliers include manufacturers, importers, distributors, retailers and hirers.

Mandatory standards specify compulsory safety or information features for certain products. Requirements can concern performance, composition, contents, manufacture or processing, design, construction, finish, packaging or labelling. Some industry standards are voluntary, so distinguish them from mandatory requirements.

Not every product has a mandatory standard: standards and bans are made when evidence shows a high risk of serious injury, serious illness or death. A missing search result does not clear a product for sale; products sold to consumers must still be safe, and a banned product cannot be supplied. Recheck if the product or timing of supply changes.

Mandatory vs Voluntary Standards in Australia

Make the finding usable before ordering

If the product is electrical, check the Electrical Regulatory Authorities Council and the relevant state or territory electrical safety regulator. For food, check Food Standards Australia New Zealand and the relevant state or territory food regulatory agency; local governments also have a role in some food sectors. The Therapeutic Goods Administration monitors and regulates therapeutic goods.

For each potential requirement, record the product feature that raised the question, the rule or regulator checked, the scope or definition considered, the effective date and the reason for your conclusion. Keep unresolved points open rather than treating them as cleared.

If a technical definition, design feature or sales claim controls the answer, give the supplier’s actual specification and a focused question to a suitably qualified adviser. The ACCC educates businesses but does not give legal advice on which standards a product needs to meet or test products for compliance.

Resolve applicability questions against the confirmed product specification before placing the order. Once requirements are identified, request evidence for the exact product version and relevant requirements; reviewing a test report or certificate is a separate step.