What the 糖心原创 does

  • We help consumers and businesses know their rights and understand what practices are unfair.
  • We can investigate if a business misleads other businesses about their rights, or engages in anti-competitive business behaviour that may be illegal.
  • We accept reports where people consider a business is doing something they shouldn鈥檛 do. We use those reports to inform our education, compliance and enforcement work.

What the 糖心原创 can't do

  • We don鈥檛 resolve individual disputes.
  • We don鈥檛 provide legal advice on your rights and obligations under the law.
  • We don鈥檛 make formal decisions on whether a person or business has breached the law as only the courts can do this.

On this page

Dispute support and reporting

If you have a dispute with another business, where to go for help depends on your business and type of issue.

Small businesses have access to specific dispute support services. Some industries have a regulator you can report businesses to or an ombudsman that can help resolve disputes.

Dispute support for small businesses

National ombudsman

The is an independent advocate for small businesses and family enterprises. They help small businesses resolve disputes with other businesses by providing information about dispute resolution options, access to mediation and low-cost legal advice.

The can help you find the most appropriate government service for resolving your dispute.

State small business commissioners

State small business commissioners support small businesses with information, advice and access to dispute resolution services. They can advise on business and retail lease disputes.

Industry specific dispute support

You can take your issue to an industry regulator or ombudsman.

Regulators take reports but often cannot help resolve individual disputes. They may be able to provide information about your rights and obligations.

Some industries have an ombudsman scheme or complaints body that helps resolve disputes.

You should check eligibility carefully. Some services are only available to small businesses and have specific size or turnover limits.

To learn about ombudsmen and regulators that support consumers, visit where to go for consumer help.

Electricity, gas or water provider

receive, investigate and help resolve complaints against energy and water providers. Some ombudsmen only accept complaints from consumers and small businesses.

Financial product and service providers

The is Australia鈥檚 corporate, markets, financial services and consumer credit regulator. They take reports of misconduct but cannot help resolve individual disputes.

The handles complaints for financial products and services and helps small businesses resolve related disputes.

Postal service providers

The can investigate and help resolve small business complaints about Australia Post and StarTrack.

Telephone or internet service providers

The handles complaints about telephone and internet services and can help small businesses resolve related disputes.

Programs on tv and radio, spam, online gambling and cabling

The handles complaints about specific telecommunications issues it regulates. This includes spam, online gambling and complaints about TV and radio broadcasting standards.

Small business support

Financial counselling

The is a free service for small business owners.

ASIC's website provides free tools, tips, and guidance about money for self-employed people.

Mental health support

Beyond Blue鈥檚 service is a free, confidential mental health coaching program. It helps small business owners and sole traders manage stress, worry and overwhelm.

Scams and cyber security help

The program provides free online cyber security training for small business owners and employees.

滨顿颁础搁贰鈥檚 helps eligible small businesses and sole traders to improve their cyber security and recover from scams and cybercrime.

State and territory government small business support

Local state and territory governments support small businesses with information, tools and advice services.

Help with legal advice or mediation

You can get independent legal advice about your issue and what options are available to your business.

If you鈥檙e in a dispute with another business, you may want to seek the help of a mediator to resolve it.

Law societies

State and territory law societies provide information on getting legal advice and can refer you to an independent lawyer or mediator in your area.

Legal advice centres

Legal advice centres offer free legal information for those who are eligible. You can refer to their websites for information about eligibility and what legal issues they can give advice on.

Small claims courts and tribunals

Each state and territory has a small claims court or tribunal that handles disputes involving small amounts of money, generally up to $25,000. There are other courts that handle disputes involving higher amounts.

You may be entitled to take your issue to your local small claims court or tribunal. They can advise you on:

  • what cases they take
  • their dispute resolution process
  • how to lodge a claim
  • fees or costs that would apply to your situation.

Government agencies and resources

The leads the Australian Government鈥檚 efforts to improve cyber security. The centre provides free resources for business.

The regulates energy markets and networks. It protects the interests of household and small business consumers but doesn鈥檛 handle complaints.

is Australia鈥檚 corporate, markets and financial services regulator and is responsible for business name registrations. It is also the regulator of consumer credit in Australia.

The looks after Australia鈥檚 tax and superannuation systems. It provides information on tax and superannuation obligations for businesses.

provides businesses with a first point of contact to access information and referral services across government. It can provide initial advice and referral services on matters such as obtaining finance, promotion and marketing, and hardship counselling.

The is Australia鈥檚 employment and workplace relations regulator. For information about your workplace responsibilities including hiring employees, managing performance and calculating wages and entitlements. It also oversees some specific employment laws applicable to franchising.

administers Australia鈥檚 intellectual property rights system, specifically patents, trademarks, designs and plant breeder鈥檚 rights. It provides information to help businesses dealing with .

The is Australia鈥檚 national privacy and freedom of information regulator. It provides information to help businesses with obligations under the Privacy Act 1988.

shares current information and advice to help businesses spot and avoid scams. Scamwatch collects scam reports and uses the information to understand how scammers work, who they harm and how to stop them.

The regulates the supply, import, export, manufacturing and advertising of therapeutic goods, medical devices and medicines. It sets and enforces compliance requirements and provides information to businesses involved in these activities.

Local state and territory consumer protection agencies can provide advice about business rights and obligations.

See also

Where to go for consumer help

Debt help