Preparing for the changes if you’re newly regulated
Learn how to start preparing for regulation after reforms to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act). You can also find support and guidance to learn more about AML/CTF.
On this page:
Changes to the AML/CTF Act mean that new businesses will now we be under AUSTRAC regulation. You can check if you’ll be regulated.
Your role is essential in helping safeguard Australia’s financial system from abuse and close the gaps in our system. There is a good reason these reforms are happening. Recent research by the Australian Institute of Criminology estimated that serious and organised crime cost Australia up to $60.1 billion. This causes major harm to our communities, businesses and economy.
We’re here to help you prepare for these new regulations and are producing materials to get you started on your AML/CTF journey.
How you can start preparing
Reforms guidance
Our new guidance has been published. We developed this in partnership with industry peak bodies to focus on supporting you to understand your obligations through clearer language and real-world examples.
You can read the new guidance to:
- understand the changes
- begin developing your new AML/CTF program
- understand what your obligations are and how AUSTRAC interprets them
- learn how to meet your obligations, including reporting requirements.
We also have new risk insights and indicators available for newly regulated entities to provide additional real-world insights into the money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing risks you face.
Webinars to help you
Register for our webinars designed for tranche 2 entities. These have been designed to:
- help you learn the fundamentals of AML/CTF
- provide information to help you understand your obligations.
Read about what’s coming soon to help you.
Learn about what we do
Discover how we work together to combat financial crime:
- learn what and how we regulate
- learn why fighting money laundering and terrorism financing is important
- understand the indicators of suspicious activity
- learn more about the risks to look out for by reviewing our national risk assessments and research reports
- become familiar with your upcoming obligations .
Learn about the impacts to your business
Understand the flow of financial information in your business and your current processes to collect and maintain this information. This includes how you maintain and govern your current:
- customer identification and verification
- record-keeping.
You can also start thinking about who in your business will be responsible for AML compliance.
Key dates
2025
- August: Published AML/CTF Rules
- October: Published reforms guidance
- October: Education program with additional AML/CTF webinars and resources to support T2 entities to prepare.
- October to November: Targeted consultation on tranche 2 sector-specific guidance with industry associations and peak bodies.
2026
- End of January 2026: Publish program kits and sector-specific guidance for tranche 2 entities
- 31 March: Enrolment opens for tranche 2 entities
- 1 July: AML/CTF obligations start for tranche 2 entities.
What to expect from us
We’re aware of the challenges the reforms present for your business. We’re providing guidance, education and materials on how to comply with your obligations.
We’ll publish these materials as they become available on our AML/CTF reform page and through our newsletter.
What we expect from you
We don’t expect to see perfection immediately. However, we do expect to see:
- realistic and effective plans
- proactive efforts to manage your AML/CTF risks.
By 1 July 2026 you must:
- have an AML/CTF program, either using a starter program kit (available December 2025) or your own
- have an AML/CTF compliance officer
- train your staff on the program, internal processes and your ML/TF risks
- be ready to engage with customers and clients and report suspicious matters.
Enrolment opens on 31 March 2026. You must ensure that your business is enrolled by 29 July 2026.
After 1 July 2026, we’ll focus our enforcement efforts against entities that:
- wilfully ignore the obligation to enrol
- are complicit with, or wilfully blind to, ML/TF in their business.
Together we can stamp out illegal activity and protect your customers, business and the Australian community.
Translation and interpreting service
We offer a free translation and interpreting service to help you understand and meet your obligations to AUSTRAC.
Call the Contact Centre during operating hours to get connected to the translation service.
Phone 131 450 and ask for 'AUSTRAC on 1300 021 037'.
We use TIS National as our translation service.
Subscribe for updates
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This guidance sets out how we interpret the Act, along with associated Rules and regulations. Australian courts are ultimately responsible for interpreting these laws and determining if any provisions of these laws are contravened.
The examples and scenarios in this guidance are meant to help explain our interpretation of these laws. They’re not exhaustive or meant to cover every possible scenario.
This guidance provides general information and isn't a substitute for legal advice. This guidance avoids legal language wherever possible and it might include generalisations about the application of the law. Some provisions of the law referred to have exceptions or important qualifications. In most cases your particular circumstances must be taken into account when determining how the law applies to you.