Hundreds of thousands of small businesses face costly new annual safety audits
The Albanese government's bill could force hundreds of thousands of small businesses to do yearly online safety audits.
The federal government introduced Digital Duty of Care legislation to improve online safety. The bill requires businesses with online services to prevent harm that might happen to users.
The catch is it also applies to small businesses, including hairdressers, cafes, tradies, and funeral homes. There is no automatic exemption based on size or turnover.
Covered businesses must write down their online safety risks, keep records for six years, and give these records to the eSafety Commissioner if asked. Small Business Organisations Australia says this adds costs to very low-risk businesses.
Compliance could cost a couple of hundred dollars per business, or thousands for those that hire professional help. For many small businesses, websites serve mainly as digital shopfronts with contact information.
There is a 12-month transition period before obligations take effect. Small business groups want exemptions for low-risk operators and businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
- October 15
- Legislation introduced
- Hundreds of thousands
- Estimated affected businesses
- Couple hundred to thousands of dollars
- Compliance cost range
- Six years
- Record retention period
Why it mattersSmall business owners will have new required work and costs, even if their websites are very low-risk.
AustraliaHundreds of thousands of Australian small business owners could face annual audits and compliance costs under the new law, adding to their existing regulatory load.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 2 h ago
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