Tuesday 22 November 2016

Unfair contract terms regime

The long-awaited laws protecting small businesses from unfair terms have taken effect across Australia. As of 12 November 2016, any terms that are ‘unfair’ in new or renewed contracts could be deemed void and unenforceable. While we are yet to see how the courts and tribunals will interpret this new legislation, the ACCC released a report last week providing a breakdown of some common worrying terms identified in the advertising, telecommunications, retail leasing, independent contracting, franchising, waste management and agriculture industries. The report provides practical guidance on how businesses can comply with these new laws including practical examples of the kinds of changes the ACCC recommends businesses make.