Australia’s corporate regulator says it has cut more than 9,240 pages of regulation since January and is asking industry and consumers to propose further ways to streamline the rulebook.
In a new paper, Report 813 Regulatory simplification, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) outlines the first phase of a multi‑year simplification push aimed at making its requirements clearer and easier to navigate while preserving strong consumer protections.
ASIC Chair Joe Longo said the agency had listened to feedback about its guidance, website and legal instruments, and was acting. ‘Regulatory complexity raises costs, stifles innovation and makes compliance harder.
‘Since we formed the ASIC Simplification Consultative Group late last year with key leaders across business, industry and consumer groups, we have been focused on simplifying how we regulate.
‘Simpler, clearer regulation is more enforceable but it also means more seamless interactions with ASIC, more understandable rules to protect consumers, and clearer compliance requirements.’
Key steps detailed in the report include a redesigned website that has removed more than 9,000 pages of content to improve access to regulatory information, along with “regulatory roadmap” pilots tailored for small‑company directors and financial advice providers to help them identify and meet their obligations.
The watchdog is also piloting consolidation of 23 legislative instruments, trimming at least 65 pages, on top of 181 pages already cut from regulatory guides. On the interactions front, ASIC is moving more “paper‑only” documents to email lodgement and will enable electronic signatures on all forms by 1 October this year—described as practical steps towards fully streamlined digital lodgement services.
Beyond its own materials, ASIC says it is feeding into potential law reform areas raised by stakeholders and is working with Treasury to explore broader simplification opportunities.
‘This is a multi-year program of work and we want to hear more about what we should consider for our next steps and initiatives,’ Mr Longo said. ‘We want to hear from those who engage with ASIC—what works, what doesn’t, and what would make the biggest difference.’
Feedback on the initiatives—and on simplification more broadly—is open until 15 October 2025. Submissions can be made anonymously or via email to [email protected].
ASIC’s Simplification Consultative Group, formed late last year, brings together figures from business, consumer advocacy and academia. Members include co‑chairs Mr Longo and Nicola Wakefield‑Evans, along with Anna Bligh (Australian Banking Association), Professor Ross Buckley (UNSW and RBA Payments System Board), Stephanie Tonkin (Consumer Action Law Centre), Bran Black (Business Council of Australia), Andrew McKellar (Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry), Naomi Edwards (Australian Institute of Company Directors), Pauline Vamos (Governance Institute of Australia), Xavier O’Halloran (Super Consumers Australia) and Luke Achterstraat (Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia).
Mr Longo first flagged the regulator’s simplification focus at the ASIC Annual Forum in November 2024. The report and further information about the programme are available on ASIC’s website.
