Australia import compliance for consumer products: a plain-English guide to cots, strollers, toys and home goods

Is Australia import compliance as hard as it sounds?

For most consumer goods, no. The rules are narrower than brands expect.

The ACCC, Australia's consumer regulator, says it directly: “People often think that all products sold in Australia must meet safety standards. This isn't correct.” Mandatory standards and bans are made only where evidence shows a risk of serious injury, illness or death. Where one exists, though, it is compulsory — and that is the part to get right.

So the first job is to sort your range into three lanes. This guide is about the middle lane, where most baby, children's and home products sit. It is step 02 of our six-step pathway to Australia. Customs paperwork, duty and GST are routine work for a customs broker; the numbers are in step 01, how to assess your Australia market opportunity.

Which products have a mandatory safety standard in Australia?

Fifty standards — and they cluster around babies, children and the home.

The ACCC's Product Safety website listed 50 mandatory standards in July 2026. Sorted by the ACCC's own product categories, the largest groups are home and garden (9) and baby and toddler products (8), with kids' toys at 6. The ACCC notes that most mandatory standards aim to protect babies and children — exactly where many brands entering from China compete. Young children are also one of the ACCC's four product safety priorities for 2026–27, alongside digital markets, e-micromobility and updating the standards themselves.

What does compliance look like for one product — say, a baby cot?

Five steps, most of them done with the factory before production.

Take a household cot. Here is the whole job, start to finish.

1. 1

   Look it up

   Cots are on the list. Since 19 January 2026, household cots, bassinets, cradles, co-sleepers, inclined sleepers and portable folding cots must meet two infant sleep product standards: one for safety, one for information.

2. 2

   Check the design

   The safety standard covers design, construction and testing. For example, the sleep surface must be flat, with an incline of no more than 7 degrees, and there must be no sharp points or edges and no gaps that can trap a baby's head, neck, limbs or fingers.

3. 3

   Get the proof

   Ask the factory for a test report from an accredited laboratory. The ACCC's advice is to check that the report covers the correct stock and the relevant Australian mandatory standard — your exact model, not a similar one.

4. 4

   Put the warnings on

   The information standard requires warnings, such as placing the baby on their back on a firm, flat surface. They must be clearly visible, prominent, legible, permanent and durable, on a prominent part of the product such as the side or end rails.

5. 5

   Keep the file

   Store the reports, label artwork and photos for every batch. If a regulator, retailer or marketplace asks, the answer should be a folder, not a search.

Bouncers, rockers and swings follow the same pattern but only need to meet the information standard. Our Australia market entry guide for Chinese maternal and baby brands covers the wider category.

What about strollers, toys and other everyday products?

Same three questions, different details. Six common examples:

Who is responsible if something goes wrong?

Usually the importer — so decide who that is before you ship.

Australian law looks along the whole supply chain: manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers all have to keep non-compliant products off the market. One rule matters most for overseas brands. If the company that made the goods has no office in Australia, the importer is treated as the manufacturer (ACCC). That puts three duties on the Australian side.

This is why brands either set up their own Australian entity or work with a local partner that acts as importer — and why that partner should ask for your test reports before the first order.

What do brands most often get wrong?

Four assumptions that cost time or money.

How do you keep Australia import compliance costs down?

Decide early, test once, and start in the easy lane.

• 01

  Check the standard before you produce

  Changing a drawing is cheap; changing a finished batch is not. Ask for the test report first, and reuse existing EN or ASTM reports where the Australian standard accepts them.

• 02

  Design one Australian pack

  Build the required warnings and labels into the artwork from the start, and add Chinese as a second language for the shoppers you want to reach. A sticker added later means a second print run.

• 03

  Start in the easy lane

  Launch the products with the simplest rules first. Leave food, vitamins and electrical goods until demand is proven — they need specialist registrations and more time.

For brands targeting Asian-Australian families there is a cheaper first step still: ask the community before you pay to test a whole range. We do this through Baby Island, our community platform with 10,000+ members, and it is the approach behind the 6 brands DAY Concept has helped enter Australia. See how we help brands reach Asian-Australian consumers, or tell us what you want to bring in.

What should be on your Australia import compliance checklist?

Eight checks. If any answer is no, fix it before the goods leave the factory.

Next in this series: step 03, localising your brand for Australia — positioning, pricing and bilingual messaging.

Questions about Australia import compliance