What should be on your compliance radar – November 2026

Our in-house legal team keeps a close eye on changing requirements and updates our course content as those requirements evolve. Take a look at what’s coming up and where it may affect your organisation.

Automated decisions need clearer privacy policies

From 10 December 2026, organisations covered by the Australian Privacy Principles must include additional information in their privacy policies where computer programs use personal information to make, or substantially and directly support, decisions that could significantly affect an individual’s rights or interests. This covers relevant automated systems as well as AI.

If that sounds like your organisation, now is a good time to map the systems involved and check whether your privacy policy explains the types of personal information used and decisions supported. Our Privacy course already covers these forthcoming transparency requirements.

Children’s online privacy is on the horizon

If your organisation provides an online service likely to be accessed by children, keep the Children’s Online Privacy Code on your radar. The OAIC must finalise and register the Code by 10 December 2026. We’re monitoring the final requirements and will assess what they mean for our Privacy course.

A heads up for consumer facing businesses

New unfair trading protections take effect on 1 July 2027, including measures targeting subscription traps and undisclosed fees added late in an online purchase. If you sell to consumers, start reviewing how you present prices and how customers sign up, renew and cancel. We’ll keep you informed as the changes approach.

Cybersecurity is high on your agenda

You’re telling us cybersecurity is one of your biggest compliance concerns in early responses to our State of Compliance 2027 survey. In its latest report, the Australian Signals Directorate revealed that the ACSC notified Australian organisations of potentially malicious cyber activity more than 4,400 times, representing an almost 80% increase year-on-year.

October’s Cybersecurity Action Month was a good reminder to check that your people can recognise suspicious activity and know how to report it. Keep an eye out for our State of Compliance 2027 report, where we’ll share the concerns coming through and how organisations are responding.

What are Australian regulators preparing for on AI governance?

As of October 2026, Australia is moving towards much more formal oversight of how organisations develop, deploy and use artificial intelligence.

The important distinction is that Australia isn’t simply preparing one comprehensive piece of AI legislation, equivalent to the EU AI Act.

Instead, we’re seeing three parallel developments:

1. New enforceable requirements, particularly around privacy and automated decision-making.
2. Existing regulators expanding their oversight of AI, including the OAIC, ASIC, APRA and ACCC.

Government developing additional AI standards and safeguards, including greater accountability, risk management and transparency.

Our legal team keeps a close eye on regulatory developments and brings that expertise into Safetrac’s training, helping your people stay informed as requirements change. We’re here to help them understand their responsibilities and put that knowledge into practice.