Review

The Australian E-commerce Best Practice Model (the BPM) set standards for consumer protection in e-commerce. It provided industry groups and individual businesses with a voluntary model code of conduct for dealing with consumers online, which was underpinned in several areas by legislative requirements. The BPM was developed with the advice of the Australian Government’s Expert Group on Electronic Commerce (the Expert Group) and was released by the Government in May 2000. The Expert Group was commissioned to undertake a review of the BPM and report to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer on their recommendations arising out of the review.

This review of the Australian E-commerce Best Practice Model has now been completed.  The BPM has been updated and replaced by The Australian Guidelines for Electronic Commerce, which were released by the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer on 17 March 2006 and were developed in consultation with the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council.  The guidelines are available on the Treasury website.