Anti-Money Laundering/Counter Terrorism Financing New Regulations – How this affects you

There are some important regulatory changes coming that affect how we work with our clients.

From 1 July 2026, law firms will be brought into Australia’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) regime. Similar requirements have applied to banks, casinos and other financial institutions for many years, and these changes are designed to strengthen protections across all professional services. Accountants, conveyancers, real estate agents and precious metal traders are also being brought into the regime.

These reforms are designed to detect, deter, and disrupt criminals from disguising illegally obtained funds as legitimate income and to prevent financial resources from reaching terrorist organisations.

What this means for you

If we provide certain services to you which are known as ‘designated services’, we will need to request identification documents or additional information as part of our engagement process, and on a periodic basis.

If you are acting on behalf of a company, trust or other structure, we may also be required to obtain and verify the identity of the individuals who ultimately own or control that entity (ie have 25% or more ownership or are in senior executive roles). This may include obtaining documentation to confirm identity. This helps ensure we understand who we are acting for and to meet our regulatory obligations.

We appreciate that providing this information takes time, and we will only request what is legally necessary. Protecting your privacy and confidentiality is critically important to us, and any information you provide will be managed securely and in accordance with our privacy obligations.

We are working to make this process as smooth and straightforward as possible.

If you would like more information about these changes, please download this brochure AML-CTF-Client-Info-Brochure or contact our Managing Partner, Adrian Lynch or General Manager | Compliance Officer, Tanya Burns.