A Quick Guide to Product Labelling Requirements in Australia

Many products sold in Australia are subject to labelling requirements. These can be set by mandatory product standards, and are often applicable to specific product types. This guide serves as an overview of key labelling requirements, while also providing a methodology that you can use to identify Australian labelling requirements for your products.

Toy Labelling

Toys sold in Australia must meet applicable product safety standards, some of which set labelling requirements. These can also set requirements concerning the specific wording and formats of toy labels.

Here are a few examples of toy labels required in Australia:

Consumer Goods (Toys for Children up to and including 36 Months of Age) Safety Standard 2023

WARNING: “NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN UNDER 3 YEARS AS FOAM PIECES MAY BREAK OFF AND CAUSE A CHOKING HAZARD”

Consumer Goods (Projectile Toys) Safety Standard 2020

WARNING: Do not aim at eyes or face

Children’s Product Labelling

Mandatory product safety standards for other children’s products also set warning and other labelling requirements. While warnings are often required, some mandatory product safety standards also require the following:

• Manufacturer or importer name
• Address
• Country of origin

The specific labelling requirements can also differ depending on whether a product is manufactured in Australia and New Zealand or imported from another country.

The table below contains a breakdown of labelling requirements for infant products, which serves as a useful case study in this context.

Consumer Goods (Infant Products) Information Standard 2024

Type	Information
Manufactured in Australia or New Zealand	1. Manufacturer name/trademark 2. Manufacturer address
Not manufactured in Australia or New Zealand	1. Country of origin 2. Australian importer or distributor’s name
Alert symbol	Internationally recognised safety alert symbol that consists of a triangle that is at least 6 millimetres high and has an exclamation mark inside it
Infant products	WARNING: check this product regularly before using it, and do not use it if any part is loose or missing or if there are any signs of damage. Do not substitute parts. Contact the manufacturer if replacement parts or additional instructions are needed
Warnings for plastic packaging material	WARNING: TO AVOID DANGER OF SUFFOCATION TO BABIES AND CHILDREN, DISPOSE OF PLASTIC PACKAGING IMMEDIATELY
Statements	(a) infant should be placed to sleep on a firm, flat surface; (b) place infant on their back when using this product; (c) do not put objects or accessories in an infant’s sleep environment; (d) do not place this product near a blind, cord, strap or similar item that could become wrapped around an infant’s neck.
Additional statements for inclined non‑sleep products	(a) do not use this product for infant sleep; (b) do not leave infant in this product unsupervised.

Textiles labelling

The Consumer Goods (Care Labelling) Information Standard 2023 sets labelling requirements for various textile products, including the following:

• Clothing
• Home textiles
• Furniture textiles
• Beddings

The standard also covers leather and fur. Specifically, it sets care labelling requirements based on the following standards:

• AS/NZS 1957:1998 Textiles – Care labelling
• ISO 3758:2012 Textiles – Care labelling code using symbols

That said, the standard does mention size or fibre composition.

Furniture Labelling

Consumer Goods (Toppling Furniture) Information Standard 2024 sets labelling requirements for the following types of furniture:

Category 1

Clothing storage units or bookcases with a height of 686 mm or more

Category 2

Entertainment units (used to contain or support a TV)

Category 3

Hall tables, display cabinets, sideboards or buffets, with a height of 686 mm or more

The labelling requirements differ depending on the furniture category, which is summarised in the table below.

Category	Information
Category 1	(a) always secure this furniture with an anchor device; (b) never allow children to stand, climb or hang on drawers, doors, or shelves; (c) never open more than one drawer at a time; (d) place heavy items down low; (e) never place a television on this furniture; (f) this is a permanent label. Do not remove!
Category 2	(a) always secure your television with an anchor device; (b) never allow children to stand, climb or hang on drawers, doors, or shelves; (c) this is a permanent label. Do not remove!
Category 3	(a) secure this furniture with an anchor device; (b) never allow children to stand, climb or hang on drawers, doors, or shelves; (c) always secure your television with an anchor device; (d) this is a permanent label. Do not remove!

Electronics Labelling

There are several regulations for electronics that set labelling requirements. Here we list the requirements that we found, although more requirements may exist.

Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM)

The Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) indicates compliance with the requirements set by:

a. The Electrical Equipment Safety Scheme (EESS) – a regulatory framework that aims to increase the safety of consumers by regulating electrical equipment (e.g. household products)

b. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) requirements, which include acts and rules that regulate communications and media services (e.g. radio equipment)

The following standards provide the general requirements for using the RCM:

AS/NZS 4417.1 – Regulatory compliance mark for electrical and electronic equipment, Part 1: Use of the mark

AS/NZS 4417.2 – Regulatory compliance mark for electrical and electronic equipment, Part 2: Specific requirements for particular regulatory applications

ACMA labelling rules

Besides the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM), the ACMA requires different types of labels, according to the type of product. Specifically, we found that the following rules set labelling requirements:

a. Telecommunications (Labelling Notice for Customer Equipment and Customer Cabling) Instrument 2025

b. Radiocommunications (Electromagnetic Compatibility) Standard 2017

c. Radiocommunications Labelling (Electromagnetic Compatibility) Notice 2017

d. Radiocommunications Equipment (General) Rules 2021

You can use the tool “Find the right labelling rules” published on the ACMA website to find labelling rules that are relevant for your product.

Battery standards

The following standards provide warning and other requirements for button and coin batteries, and products containing such batteries:

• Consumer Goods (Button/Coin Batteries) Information Standard 2020
• Consumer Goods (Products Containing Button/Coin Batteries) Information Standard 2020

AS/NZS Standards

AS and AS/NZS standards, some of which are referenced by mandatory product safety standards, can also contain labelling requirements. For example, the Consumer Goods (Aquatic Toys) Safety Standard 2020 sets the following requirements:

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An aquatic toy complies with the requirements in this Part if the aquatic toy:

(a) complies with one of the following:

(i) the requirements in section 10 (Australian/New Zealand Standard);

(ii) the requirements in section 11 (International Standard); and

(b) complies with the requirements in section 12 (warning formatting requirements).

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While the mandatory product safety standard sets formatting requirements, the specific warnings can only be found in AS/NZS ISO 8124.1:2019 Safety of toys Part 1: Safety aspects related to mechanical and physical properties.

The implications of this are that companies manufacturing or importing products for sale in Australia must also take AS and AS/NZS standards into account.

Label Checklist

✅ Identify all mandatory safety standards

Example: Consumer Goods (Infant Products) Information Standard 2024

✅ Summarise all labelling requirements contained in the standard

✅ Is country of origin marking required?

✅ Do you need to include information about the manufacturer, importer or distributor?

✅ Do you need to specify the address?

✅ Are product warnings required?

✅ Are packaging warnings required?

✅ Are there any label format requirements?

✅ Is a warning symbol or other graphics required?

✅ Where should the label information be placed?

✅ Are any AS or AS/NZS standards referenced?

Example: AS/NZS 1957:1998 Textiles – Care labelling

✅ Are there additional labelling requirements set by the AS or AS/NZS standards?

FAQ

Is country of origin marking required in Australia?

Yes, country of origin marking is required under some mandatory product safety standards. For example, the country of origin must be specified for infant sleep products not manufactured in Australia or New Zealand.

Further, country of origin labelling is also required for most food products sold in Australia.

Do we need to specify the manufacturer and importer on the product label?

Yes, if your product is subject to a mandatory standard or regulation mandating the inclusion of such information. For example, infant products must be labelled with the name and address of the manufacturer (if made in Australia or NZ) or the name of the importer or distributor in Australia (if made elsewhere).

Is CE marking accepted in Australia?

No, CE marking is an EU compliance mark that is generally not recognised as a compliance mark in Australia. That said, Australian product standards sometimes reference EN standards that are also the basis for CE-marked products.

In such cases, a product that is correctly CE marked may technically meet some of the requirements that must be met for products sold in Australia.

However, even when this is the case, CE marking is not recognised as a compliance mark, and the product must ultimately meet Australian labelling requirements.

Is UKCA marking accepted in Australia?

No, UKCA marking is a compliance mark in the United Kingdom and is generally not recognised in Australia. That said, some of the standards that UKCA marking is based on are referenced in Australian product standards.