Website Compliance
Website compliance
Three new rules, one plain-English check
Website compliance for Australian small businesses means three new rules in the next year: a December 2026 privacy change, the 1 July 2027 ban on drip pricing and dark patterns, and the Digital Duty of Care Bill. Our $490 check tells you which apply to your site, fixes the website side, and gives you a written record to keep.
Dark patterns & drip pricing
Law from 1 July 2027. Bans manipulative checkout design, hidden fees added late in checkout, and subscriptions that are hard to cancel. Matters most if you sell online or take subscriptions.
Automated decisions
Law from 10 December 2026. If the Privacy Act applies to you and software or AI makes decisions about people, your privacy policy has to say so. Many small businesses under $3M turnover aren't covered, and we'll check.
Digital Duty of Care
Still a Bill. As introduced, it would require a written online safety risk assessment every year, kept for six years. Low-risk websites may be exempted. We'll tell you where you stand once the rules are final.
What we do
- Website compliance check. We go through your forms, checkout, embeds, chat tools, reviews and privacy policy and tell you which of the three rules apply. You get a short written report with a fix list.
- Checkout & subscription audit. For online stores and subscription businesses, using our drip pricing and dark patterns checklist. We test the buying and cancelling journey screen by screen: total price shown up front, no pre-ticked boxes, no false countdowns or stock warnings, and cancelling as easy as signing up.
- AI assistant safety setup. Topic limits, a filter for abuse and unsafe answers, a "report this answer" button, logged conversations and a written note of the risks and how they're handled.
- Annual risk assessment. If the Duty of Care becomes law and your site isn't exempt, we write and update the yearly assessment and keep a copy for you. It will be included in our Care plans.
Prices
| Service | Includes | From (ex GST) |
|---|---|---|
| Website compliance check | All three rules checked, written report and fix list | $490 |
| Checkout & subscription audit | Full buy and cancel journey tested against the July 2027 rules, with fixes listed by priority | $890 |
| AI assistant safety setup | Guardrails, reporting button, logs and a written risk note. Included with every new Beewebby assistant | $690 |
| Annual risk assessment | Written yearly assessment, updated before big site changes, copies kept for six years | Included in Care |
Fixes are quoted at a fixed price before we start. Most are small changes to wording or layout.
Where things stand
Updated 11 November 2026. The Unfair Trading Practices changes passed in July 2026 and start on 1 July 2027. The automated decision rules start on 10 December 2026, and the OAIC published its guidance in September 2026. The Digital Duty of Care Bill passed the House in October 2026. A Senate committee reports on 20 November, and the duty would start 12 months after the Bill becomes law. Read more in our guide: Does the Digital Duty of Care apply to your small business website?
We're web developers, not lawyers. Our reports cover how your website works and what it shows people. They aren't legal advice, and for wording that carries legal risk, such as terms of sale, we'll suggest you check with a lawyer.
Questions people ask
What is a website compliance check?
A website compliance check is a review of your forms, checkout, embeds, chat tools and privacy policy against the new Australian rules, with a written report of what applies and what to fix. Ours costs $490 ex GST.
Does my small business website need to comply with the new laws?
The drip pricing and dark patterns ban applies to any business selling to consumers online from 1 July 2027. The privacy and Duty of Care rules depend on your turnover, your features and whether a low-risk exemption is made.
Is a website compliance check legal advice?
No. Beewebby checks how your website works and what it shows people. For terms of sale, subscription contracts or privacy policy wording that carries legal risk, we'll suggest you ask a lawyer.
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