ACMA Product Compliance
As a seller on MyDeal, you are required to comply with safety regulations and ensure that the products you sell comply with the relevant product safety regulations.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is Australia’s communication and media regulator. Before supplying or selling electrical and electronics products and appliances, you may need to comply with one or more of the following:
- telecommunications standards
- radiocommunications standards
- electromagnetic compatibility standard
- electromagnetic energy standard
- parental lock standard (Broadcasting)
The purpose of these regulations is to ensure that these products do not cause any interference with telecommunications or broadcasting services in Australia, or interfere with the operation of other products.
What’s required by the regulation?
You must ensure that you:
- Understand and follow the ACMA rules for your product(s)
- Report a product if you suspect it does not comply with the ACMA standards
The ACMA rules include technical standards, labelling requirements and equipment rules. Common requirements include testing, completing supplier declarations of conformity and labelling products with the RCM.
Please refer to the ACMA technical standards for further information.
In this notice, we have provided some information about Radiocommunications standards with emphasis on the Short Range Equipment Standard.
Radiocommunications standards
The ACMA is responsible for mandating technical requirements for radiocommunications transmitters. These are known as 'general standards'. You will find these transmitters in all products with WIFI and Bluetooth compatibility, as well as in many other household appliances.
You can find the general standards in Schedule 5 to the Radiocommunication Equipment (General) Rules 2021, also known as the General Equipment Rules.
Suppliers will need to ensure they comply with the relevant requirements for their equipment.
Short Range Equipment Standard
As a seller, you may wish to list products that are known as short range devices. These include:
- low-interference potential equipment
- radio-controlled model equipment.
Low-interference potential equipment
Low-interference potential equipment includes:
- wi-fi and Bluetooth devices
- auditory assistance including wireless microphones
- access control, including garage door openers
- local area networks
- medical implants
- radiofrequency identification (RFID)
- telecommand for drones
- radar, including automotive
- home detention monitoring equipment
- personal alarms
- ultra-wideband (UWB) transmitters
- infrared equipment
- video sender transmitters
- barcode readers
- personal alarms / alarm transmitters.
Testing for low interference potential devices
If your radiocommunications device is classified as low interference potential equipment, clause 53 in Part 15 – Short Range Equipment Standard of Schedule 5 to the General Equipment Rules requires your device to comply with:
- any standard listed in column 4 of Schedule 1 to Radiocommunications (Low Interference Potential Devices) Class Licence 2015 (LIPD class licence)
- specified requirements in the LIPD class licence.
If there are any differences between the standard and the requirements in the LIPD class licence, you will need to ensure your device is tested to comply with the specified requirements in the LIPD class licence.
What does this mean?
You must ensure that if your product is LIPD equipment, that it can only operate on the permitted frequency range and complies with the testing requirements in column 4 of Schedule 1.
You can find out more about the LIPD class licence on the ACMA website.
IMPORTANT: Products that are designed for other countries often use different frequencies for the same functionality than those permitted in Australia. Your products must operate on the frequencies permitted for the product’s function in Australia. Sometimes products designed for other countries use frequencies that are reserved for mobile phone and other services in Australia- meaning they will be non-compliant and cause interference with other services and products if used here.
Radio-controlled model equipment
Radio-controlled model equipment includes remote-controlled model cars, trains, boats and planes.
The ACMA mandate technical performance requirements for radio-controlled model equipment, which:
- are set out in subclause 53(3) of Part 15 in Schedule 5 to the General Equipment Rules
- reference the Radiocommunications (Radio-controlled Models) Class Licence 2015 (RCM class licence).
It is important you read Part 15 of Schedule 5 to the General Equipment Rules and the RCM class licence.
You can find out about the RCM class licence on the ACMA website.
Power output
Your equipment cannot exceed the maximum power stated in the class licence.
Frequencies for radio-controlled models
You can find the frequencies for radio-controlled models in the class licence.
Understand your obligations
You must familiarise yourself with the requirements of the regulations. For more information, see here.
Ensure your products on MyDeal meet the requirements.
Selling products that do not comply with mandatory standards and bans or other regulation is a breach of our Policies and our Seller terms and Conditions. Any sellers that fail to ensure they are compliant with the bans, or any other legal or safety requirements risk being banned from selling any products on MyDeal.