Guide

Product recalls in Australia: ACCC, FSANZ and vehicle recalls

Australia operates a relatively centralised recall register for consumer products, with food handled through a coordinated arrangement between the federal food regulator and state and territory agencies.

Consumer products: the ACCC and productsafety.gov.au

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) maintains the national product safety recall register at productsafety.gov.au/recalls. This is the central public record for recalls of consumer goods in Australia — electrical products, toys, children’s items, furniture, cosmetics and similar. Notices state the hazard, affected models and the remedy offered. You can subscribe to email alerts for new recalls through the same site.

The ACCC has powers under the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010) to issue compulsory recall orders when a supplier does not act voluntarily on a safety risk.

Food: FSANZ coordination with states and territories

Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) sets food standards but typically does not conduct recalls itself. Food recalls in Australia are carried out by the responsible business in coordination with state and territory food enforcement agencies, with Food Standards Australia New Zealand playing a scientific and coordination role. Food recall notices are published by FSANZ at foodstandards.gov.au/food-recalls; the ACCC’s productsafety.gov.au retains only a narrow residual category of packaging-safety items.

Vehicles: the federal recall scheme

Vehicle safety recalls in Australia are administered under the Road Vehicle Standards legislation, coordinated by the federal Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications, Sport and the Arts. Most recalls are initiated voluntarily by manufacturers, but the Minister holds compulsory recall powers where voluntary action is inadequate. Manufacturers are expected to contact registered owners directly and to provide free repairs for safety defects; recalls are searchable by make and model at vehiclerecalls.gov.au. The ACCC can take enforcement action under the Australian Consumer Law if a supplier fails to address a safety defect.

What this means in practice

Start at the register that owns your product type: productsafety.gov.au for consumer goods, vehiclerecalls.gov.au for vehicles, and foodstandards.gov.au/food-recalls for food. Each official notice states the specific products and batches affected and the remedy offered; always follow the official notice rather than any summary.

Browse our Australia recall index — it aggregates ACCC records with links to each official notice.