Have your say: Unfair Trading Practices consultation

26 June 2026

AMCA is preparing a submission to the Federal Government's consultation on new protections for small businesses against unfair trading practices - and we want your feedback.

The Federal Government is consulting on new protections for small businesses against unfair trading practices, and AMCA is putting together a submission. Before we do, we want to hear from you.

The consultation is broad - it covers everything from dodgy subscription traps and hidden fees through to the more serious end of the spectrum: head contractors wielding their bargaining power to delay payments, change terms mid-contract, or quietly make life difficult for subcontractors who push back. Treasury is asking whether existing laws are doing enough to protect small businesses, or whether a new economy-wide prohibition is needed.

Frankly, most of us in the trade know the answer to that question. The issue is getting the evidence on the table.

That is where members come in. AMCA's submission will carry far more weight if it is grounded in real experience from the field. We are not after legal arguments - we are after your stories. What has actually happened to your business? Where have you been left holding the bag on a contract change you did not agree to? When did you swallow a payment dispute rather than risk losing the relationship? What does it actually cost you - in time, money, and lost work - when a larger business plays hardball and you have no real recourse?

If any of the following sound familiar, we want to hear from you:

  1. Payments delayed, disputed, or quietly short-paid with no proper explanation

  2. Contract terms changed after the job started

  3. Being pushed to sign a new agreement before an outstanding invoice gets paid

  4. Pressure to drop a concern or dispute to protect the relationship

  5. Penalties or chargebacks that were not in the original scope

Your input can be provided confidentially - we will use it to build AMCA's submission without naming individual businesses. Submissions close 10 July 2026, so please email any feedback to [email protected].