The Commonwealth Government is to further strengthen Australia’s anti-money laundering regime so that it continues to effectively deter, detect and disrupt money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation financing.
New client identification requirements
From 1 July 2026, the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act) will apply to some services provided by lawyers. This will typically be for matters such as conveyancing, establishing or restructuring companies or trusts, or assisting with certain commercial arrangements.
The AML/CTF Act requires lawyers to collect and verify certain information about you (the client). This will generally happen before the lawyer provides you with their services, however it may also occur during the course of your matter.
Information we may ask you to provide
Generally, we will ask you to confirm who you are, by asking for your full name, residential address, and date of birth.
We will also ask for documents to verify those details, which may include:
- Identity documents with your photograph, such as your driver’s license or passport,
- Documents without your photograph, such as birth certificate or citizenship certificate, or
- Other documents, such as payslips or bank statements.
We may also need to request other information, including:
- Why you are seeking the service you have requested,
- Whether you, a family member or a close business associate is, or has been, a member of parliament, a member of a court, or a high-ranking member of a government body, and
- Whether the service you have requested involves the handling of physical cash or virtual assets, for example, cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin.
If you are acting on behalf of someone, you will also be asked to provide evidence of authority, for example, an appointment letter, power of attorney, or other authorisation document.
What if I refuse to provide information?
If you do not provide information required by the AML/CTF Act, we may be unable to provide you with your requested legal service. If work has commenced, we may be required to terminate our services.
Protecting your privacy
Your personal information collected for compliance with AML/CTF Act will be handled in line with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), which regulates how personal information is used, collected and disclosed. We can provide you with a copy of our privacy policy.