Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Bill 2026

# Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Bill 2026 ## What it does This bill strengthens consumer protection laws by cracking down on unfair trading practices, hidden pricing tricks, and sneaky subscription contracts. It updates the Competition and Consumer Act to give the ACCC more power to stop dodgy business tactics. ## Why it matters Australians regularly get caught out by "drip pricing" (where extra costs appear at checkout) and auto-renewing subscriptions that are hard to cancel. These changes aim to make it clearer what you're actually paying for before you hand over your money. ## Key details - **Comes into force**: 1 July 2027 — so there's about 18 months before the new rules kick in - **Three main targets**: The bill specifically tackles unfair trading practices, drip pricing, and subscription traps - **Penalties**: Fines range from 12 penalty units (for individuals) up to 600 penalty units (for major listed companies) — amounts that actually hurt corporate budgets rather than being treated as a cost of doing business