Quick answer: Yes. AI cold calling is legal in Australia with no AI-specific consent rule: the Do Not Call Register Act 2006 counts “a recorded or synthetic voice” as a voice call. Unless a call is designated or excluded (a prompt reply to the person’s own enquiry, for example), don’t make sales calls to registered numbers without consent; wash lists within 30 days. Sales hours: 9 am–8 pm weekdays, 9 am–5 pm Saturdays. Company maximum (no prior record): $728,000 a day.
Is AI cold calling legal in Australia?
AI cold calling is an unsolicited sales call in which the voice is generated by software. In Australia it is legal and governed by the same instruments as a human cold call: the Do Not Call Register Act 2006 (DNCR Act) and the Telecommunications (Telemarketing and Research Calls) Industry Standard 2017 (the Standard), both enforced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA); the Spam Act 2003 for SMS and email follow-ups; Australian Privacy Principle 7 under the Privacy Act 1988; and the Australian Consumer Law if the agent closes a sale.
The answer is a plain yes because of a 2006 definition. Section 4 of the DNCR Act says a voice call includes “a call that involves a recorded or synthetic voice”. The ACMA’s statement of expectations on consent says: “Commercial calls made using an auto-dialler (robocalls) or that use pre-recorded or AI voices are all telemarketing calls.” The register operator’s consumer FAQ says calls using “a recorded or synthetic voice” are “allowed under the telemarketing rules”.
Australia has no separate consent rule for synthetic voices. On 4 October 2026 we searched the DNCR Act, its 2017 Regulations, the Standard and the Spam Act for “artificial”, “automated” and “AI” and found none, while each file returned words we knew it contained (“synthetic” in the Act and Standard, “telemarketing” in the Act, Regulations and Standard, “electronic message” in the Spam Act). That differs from the AI cold calling rules in the UK under PECR, which split live and automated marketing calls.
What the Do Not Call Register Act says, limb by limb
Section 11(1) prohibits making, or causing, a telemarketing call to an Australian number if (a) the number is on the register and (b) the call is not a designated telemarketing call. Section 4 says “make includes attempt to make”, so an unanswered dial counts. Under section 5 a call is telemarketing if one of its purposes, judged from its content, its presentation, what the recipient can reach through numbers or links it mentions, and what calling the number back reveals, is to offer or promote goods, services, land, a business or investment opportunity, or their supplier, or to solicit donations.
- Consent (s 11(2)) from the account-holder or nominee. Schedule 2: express, or reasonably inferred from conduct and business and other relationships. Express consent stating no period lapses after 3 months; consent cannot be inferred merely because a number was published.
- Washing (s 11(3)). The register did not show the number as registered on a wash in the 30-day period ending at the end of the call day. See how to wash a calling list against the Do Not Call Register automatically.
- Mistake (s 11(4)) and reasonable precautions and due diligence (s 11(5)), each with an evidential burden on you (s 11(6)).
Section 11(9) makes you the cause of calls a contractor makes for you, and section 12 penalises contracting for telemarketing calls likely to reach register-eligible numbers without an express compliance term. A vendor’s AI agent calling for you is calling as you.
Which numbers the register can protect: business lines are outside it
Section 14 admits four kinds of number: used primarily for private or domestic purposes; used exclusively for faxes; used exclusively by a government body; and emergency service numbers. The operator’s FAQ: “Business telephone numbers are not eligible for registration”, though a mixed-use number “may be eligible for registration if it is used mostly for private/domestic purposes”. Registration lasts indefinitely unless removed (s 17). A sole trader’s mobile may be registered, so wash everything.
Business lines do not escape the Standard, whose hours, identification and caller ID rules apply to B2B sales calls. One gap: hours are measured at the “usual residential address of the relevant account-holder” (s 8(4)), and the Standard does not say how that works for a company. Schedule on the recipient’s local time.
Calls that are not telemarketing calls at all
Regulation 6 of the Do Not Call Register Regulations 2017 excludes six kinds of call by primary purpose: product recalls; faults (informing, fixing or confirming a fix); rescheduling an appointment; reminding of an appointment; payment for goods or services ordered, requested or supplied; and solicited calls, which must respond to an order, request or inquiry, relate to it, follow an inquiry not withdrawn, and come within a reasonable time. Regulation 6(8) judges an unanswered call by its intended purpose. A prompt AI call about a web enquiry that has not been withdrawn is therefore not a telemarketing call, and on the Standard’s definition, which borrows the DNCR Act meaning, it is outside the Standard too. That second step is our reading, not an ACMA statement.
The sentence against relying on it: regulation 6’s own examples include a dentist offering a discount on a rescheduling call, yet the ACMA’s statement warns that “where calls have more than one purpose, if one of those purposes is to sell or promote goods or services, the call is commercial and must comply with the Rules”. Script reminder and payment calls without a pitch.
Designated calls under Schedule 1 are telemarketing calls exempt from the register, under three clauses: calls authorised by a government body or registered charity; by a registered political party, an independent member of a parliament or local governing body, or a candidate, for electoral or political fundraising; and by an educational institution to the private number of a current or former student’s household, including via an employer. Each has a supplier condition where goods or services are involved, and the Standard still applies. Opinion polls and questionnaire research are outside the DNCR Act but inside the Standard; a research call with “any telemarketing elements” is a telemarketing call, the operator’s FAQ says.
What the 2017 Standard requires on every AI sales call
- Hours (s 8). Sales calls 9 am to 8 pm weekdays and 9 am to 5 pm Saturdays, none on Sundays; research calls to 8.30 pm weekdays and 9 am to 5 pm Sundays. No calls on seven national public holidays or weekday in-lieu days. Section 8(5) lifts the limits only if the account-holder or nominee gave express consent in advance to that call at that time, the call is made only then, and the caller can prove both to the ACMA.
- Opening (s 9(2)). As the call starts: the caller’s given name “unless the call is made solely using a recorded or synthetic voice”; the employer’s company or business name; the name of whoever caused the call; and its purpose. Excused only if the recipient hangs up first or the caller ends the call within 5 seconds without speaking (s 9(3)).
- On request (s 9(4), s 11). Contact details for the employer and the causer, and complaint-handling details, including an Australian number answered in business hours and one current street, postal, email or web address.
- Synthetic voice (s 12). A mechanism during the call to request that information; the Standard’s example is pressing a button to talk to an operator.
- Termination (s 13). Hang up immediately if the recipient asks or “otherwise indicates” they do not want to continue, or is somewhere it is a prohibited time; only the location ground lifts if they ask to continue.
- Caller ID (s 14). Enabled, callable back for identity and purpose, and able to take return calls for at least 30 days. State laws still apply (s 15).
Section 9(2)(a) cuts against a common assumption: a solely synthetic call need not give a person’s name, and nothing in the Standard requires the agent to say it is an AI. Recording is a separate body of law: see call recording laws in each Australian state and territory.
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The Australian AI Call Test: which rules a given call triggers
Ten call types an AI agent makes, run through the register, the Standard and the consent question. Our reading of the instruments, not an ACMA form.
| Row | Call the AI agent makes | DNCR Act s 11 | 2017 Standard | What you need before dialling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Sales call to a consumer number not on the register | Not engaged if unregistered; a wash within 30 days is your proof (s 11(3)) | Applies in full | A wash file dated within the 30 days ending on the call day |
| B | Sales call to a registered number, no consent, no designated status | Prohibited (s 11(1)) | Applies in full | Do not dial |
| C | Sales call to a registered number with consent | Permitted (s 11(2)); express consent with no stated period lapses after 3 months | Applies in full; hours lift only with express consent to that day or time (s 8(5)) | A consent record: who, which number, when, on what terms |
| D | Sales call to a number used primarily for business | Not engaged unless the number is on the register: business-use numbers are ineligible (s 14), but s 11(1) turns on registration, and an ineligible number stays listed until the operator removes it | Applies in full | Wash anyway if the line could be a private mobile |
| E | Follow-up within a reasonable time to a web enquiry, about that enquiry | Not a telemarketing call (reg 6(7)) | Outside it on our reading of the shared definition | The enquiry record and its timestamp; no pitch beyond the enquiry |
| F | Appointment reminder or reschedule, payment, recall or fault call | Not a telemarketing call if that is the primary purpose (reg 6(2) to 6(6)) | Outside it on the same reading | A script whose primary purpose is the service matter |
| G | Call authorised by a government body, registered charity, political party or candidate (fundraising), or educational institution (student household) | Designated: s 11 does not apply (Sch 1) | Applies in full | Evidence the Schedule 1 conditions are met |
| H | Opinion poll or standard questionnaire research, nothing sold | Not a telemarketing call | Applies: research hours (s 8(2)) and s 10 identification | A script with no sales element at all |
| I | SMS or email sent by the agent after the call | Not engaged: the register covers calls and faxes | Not engaged | Spam Act consent unless designated; sender identity in every message, and an unsubscribe in every non-designated one |
| J | Agent negotiates a sale over $100 to a consumer who did not invite the call | As A to D | As A to D | Australian Consumer Law unsolicited consumer agreement steps (s 76, s 78(2), s 82, s 86) |
The Australian AI Call Test in one sentence: if the number is registered and the call is a telemarketing call, you need consent or designated status before dialling, and whatever the number, the Standard governs every telemarketing call the agent makes, designated or not.
The thresholds an AI calling programme has to track
Every number in this table comes from the instrument named beside it.
| Obligation | Threshold | Where it is |
|---|---|---|
| Wash that protects a call to a number later found registered | 30-day period ending at the end of the day of the call | DNCR Act s 11(3) |
| Life of express consent that states no period | 3 months from the day given | DNCR Act Sch 2 cl 3 |
| Sales calls, weekdays | 9 am to 8 pm | Standard s 8(1) |
| Sales calls, Saturday | 9 am to 5 pm | Standard s 8(1) |
| Sales calls, Sunday | None | Standard s 8(1)(e) |
| Research calls | 9 am to 8.30 pm weekdays; 9 am to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday | Standard s 8(2) |
| National public holidays with no calls | 7, plus weekday in-lieu days | Standard s 8(3) |
| Identification excused if the caller hangs up without speaking | Within 5 seconds | Standard s 9(3)(b) |
| Displayed number must take return calls | At least 30 days | Standard s 14(3) |
| SMS sender details and unsubscribe address must stay valid | At least 30 days after sending | Spam Act s 17(1)(d), s 18(1)(e) |
| Unsubscribe takes effect | 5 business days | Spam Act Sch 2 cl 6 |
| Telling a person where you got their details, on request | Generally 30 days | OAIC APP guidelines para 7.47 |
| Phone sale becomes an unsolicited consumer agreement | Price over $100, or not ascertainable | ACL s 69(1)(d) |
| Agreement document after a phone sale | Within 5 business days | ACL s 78(2) |
| Consumer’s right to terminate a phone sale | 10 business days after the agreement document; 3 or 6 months if certain rules were broken | ACL s 82(3) |
| Privacy Act small business exemption | Annual turnover $3,000,000 or less, subject to exceptions | Privacy Act s 6D |
| Time limit for the ACMA to seek a penalty | 6 years | DNCR Act s 27; Telecommunications Act s 571(2) |
| Value of a penalty unit | $364 from 1 July 2026 | Crimes (Amount of a Penalty Unit) Instrument 2026, s 5 |
What an unwashed AI campaign costs: a worked penalty example
Section 25 of the DNCR Act sets maximum penalties in penalty units. The Crimes (Amount of a Penalty Unit) Instrument 2026 says at section 5 that “the amount of a penalty unit is $364”, from 1 July 2026. Crimes Act 1914 section 4AA(8), and the note to section 5 of that instrument, say the increased amount “only applies to offences committed on or after” 1 July 2026; Do Not Call Register Act contraventions are civil penalty provisions (s 11(8)), not offences, and neither instrument says which amount applies to them. The dollar figures below convert at $364 for conduct after 1 July 2026; at the earlier $330 the daily cap in step 3 would be $660,000. Take advice before relying on either conversion. The inputs: a company with no prior record calls 1,000 bought consumer numbers on a Tuesday without washing. The ACMA says “Over half of all active numbers in Australia are on the Do Not Call Register”, so assume 500 are registered, none consented, and no exception applies.
| Step | Rule | Arithmetic | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Per-call maximum | s 25(3)(a)(i): 100 penalty units per contravention of s 11(1) | 100 × $364 | $36,400 per call |
| 2. Uncapped sum for the day | 500 contraventions | 500 × 100 = 50,000 penalty units | Not the answer: the daily cap applies |
| 3. Daily cap | s 25(3)(b)(i): 2,000 penalty units for 2 or more contraventions on one day | 2,000 × $364 | $728,000 maximum for the Tuesday |
| 4. Where the cap starts to bind | 2,000 ÷ 100 | 20 contraventions | From the 21st registered number dialled that day, the maximum stops rising |
| 5. Same campaign Monday to Friday | One cap per day | 5 × $728,000 | $3,640,000 |
| 6. Infringement notice instead of court | Sch 3 cl 4(1) item 3: 1,000 penalty units for 50 or more contraventions; one notice per provision per day (cl 2(3)) | 1,000 × $364 | $364,000 for the Tuesday |
| 7. Same Tuesday with a prior record | s 25(5)(b)(i): 10,000 penalty units for the day | 10,000 × $364 | $3,640,000 |
| 8. With a wash | s 11(3): numbers not shown as registered on a wash in the 30 days ending on the call day | 0 contraventions | $0 under s 11 |
For an individual, section 25(4) sets 20 and 400 penalty units: $7,280 and $145,600. These are ceilings that a court applies case by case (s 24(3)). Breaching the Standard is separate: Telecommunications Act 1997 section 128 makes it a civil penalty provision, capped at $250,000 per contravention for a company and $50,000 otherwise (s 570(3)(b), (4)(b)), with formal warnings available (s 129). Breaching the APP 7 opt-out and source duties is a civil penalty contravention of up to 200 penalty units under Privacy Act s 13K, and five times that for a body corporate (Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014 s 82(5), applied by Privacy Act s 80U); serious interferences with privacy fall under the larger s 13G and s 13H penalties. Row 8 is the point: a wash inside 30 days turns a $3,640,000 week into nothing under section 11.
The SMS and email your AI agent sends after the call
Section 5(5) of the Spam Act 2003 excludes voice calls from that Act, and the Do Not Call Register covers only voice calls and faxes, so the register never covers texts. Section 16 bars commercial electronic messages with an Australian link unless consented to or designated (or sent by mistake, or where the sender did not know and could not with reasonable diligence have found out the message had an Australian link: s 16(3), (4)). Consent is express or reasonably inferred, not inferred from mere publication except under the four-condition conspicuous-publication rule (Sch 2 cl 4(2)), and the sender bears the evidential burden (s 16(5)). Every message must identify the sender with details valid for 30 days (s 17) and carry a working unsubscribe (s 18); withdrawal takes effect after 5 business days (Sch 2 cl 6). Designated messages (purely factual ones, and those authorised by government bodies, registered political parties or registered charities, or by educational institutions to current or former students and their households, about goods or services that body supplies) are exempt from sections 16 and 18 but not 17. More on when inferred consent under the Spam Act holds up.
Where the Privacy Act and APP 7 fit
APP 7 bars using personal information for direct marketing unless: the person gave it and would expect the use, with a simple opt-out and no opt-out request (7.2); or, for a bought list or unexpected use, they consented or consent is impracticable, with a simple opt-out, a prominent opt-out prompt in every communication, and no opt-out request (7.3). Sensitive information needs consent (7.4). People can ask you, free of charge, to stop and to name your source; you must act within a reasonable period, and may decline to name the source only where that is impracticable or unreasonable (7.6, 7.7). APP 7.8 steps aside “to the extent that” the DNCR or Spam Acts apply, and the OAIC guidelines say APP 7 still applies to an organisation to the extent it is exempt or partially exempt from them (para 7.49). Neither says whether a call to an unregistered number is one the DNCR Act applies to, so honour opt-outs and source requests on every call. The Attorney-General’s Department has consulted on an exposure draft Privacy Amendment (Personal Data Protection) Bill 2026 that would rewrite APP 7; as at 4 October 2026 it is a draft, not law. See what the 2026 privacy bill would change for marketing consent. Section 6D exempts businesses with turnover of $3,000,000 or less, but not one whose turnover has exceeded $3,000,000 in any financial year since it started, nor those trading in personal information without consent, providing health services while holding health information, contracting with the Commonwealth, reporting credit, or related to a larger company; section 6E also brings some small businesses back in.
Closing the sale on the call: unsolicited consumer agreements
If the agent sells on an uninvited call, Australian Consumer Law section 69 (Schedule 2, Competition and Consumer Act 2010) can make it an unsolicited consumer agreement: goods or services to a consumer, negotiated by phone, not invited by the consumer, priced over $100 or not ascertainable. Giving contact details for another purpose is not an invitation (s 69(1A)). Then: tell the consumer about the right to terminate, by phone and then in writing (s 76), an agreement document within 5 business days (s 78(2)), termination until 10 business days after it (s 82(3)), and no supply or payment meanwhile (s 86). Do not assume a booked quote avoids this: an invitation merely to quote a price is not an invitation to negotiate (s 69(2)), and a consumer returning your missed call has not invited you either (s 69(1A)(b)).
Does the 2027 sunset of the Telemarketing Standard change the answer?
The Federal Register of Legislation API, queried 4 October 2026, shows the Standard in force with a scheduled repeal on 1 April 2027 under section 50 of the Legislation Act 2003; a “Telemarketing” title search found no replacement, and the ACMA’s Have your say page listed two open consultations, neither on this Standard. But section 125A(4) of the Telecommunications Act says the ACMA “must ensure that a standard is in force under subsection (1) at all times”, covering calling hours, identification, termination and caller ID. Expect a remake, not a gap. The DNCR Regulations 2017, home of the regulation 6 exclusions, carry the same 1 April 2027 date.
When this is a question for a lawyer or the ACMA
This page is not legal advice, and the ACMA says its own statement “is not legal advice nor is it a definitive compliance guide to the Rules”. Get advice before relying on regulation 6 for calls that may promote anything, on inferred consent for registered numbers, before calling for clients, closing sales on uninvited calls, or calling from overseas (the Act reaches conduct outside Australia, s 9). The ACMA’s January to March 2026 report records 17,660 telemarketing complaints in 2023–24, 16,537 in 2024–25 and 10,174 in the first three quarters of 2025–26.
Frequently asked questions
Is AI cold calling legal in Australia?
Yes. No Australian instrument bans it or adds a consent rule for AI voices. The Do Not Call Register Act 2006 defines a voice call to include “a call that involves a recorded or synthetic voice”, so an AI sales call is tested like a human one. The register operator’s consumer FAQ says recorded or synthetic voice calls are “allowed under the telemarketing rules”.
Do I need consent to cold call with an AI voice agent in Australia?
Only to make a telemarketing call to a number on the Do Not Call Register, unless it is a designated call such as one authorised by a registered charity or government body. Unregistered numbers, and numbers a wash in the 30 days ending on the call day did not show as registered, need no consent under that Act. Express consent stating no period lapses after 3 months.
Does the Do Not Call Register apply to business numbers?
No. Only numbers used primarily for private or domestic purposes, fax-only numbers, government-only numbers and emergency service numbers can be registered (section 14). A mixed-use number used mostly for private purposes can be. The 2017 Telemarketing Standard still applies to sales calls to business numbers. Section 11 turns on whether a number is actually on the register, so wash business numbers too.
Do I have to tell people they are talking to an AI in Australia?
No telemarketing instrument requires it as at 4 October 2026. The 2017 Standard excuses a solely synthetic-voice call from giving a person’s given name, but the agent must still give the business name, who caused the call and its purpose as the call starts, and offer an in-call way to request contact and complaint details.
What are the legal calling hours for telemarketing in Australia?
9 am to 8 pm on weekdays and 9 am to 5 pm on Saturdays, with no sales calls on Sundays or seven national public holidays and in-lieu days, measured at the account-holder’s usual residential address. Express consent in advance to a particular call at a particular time lifts the limits for that call.
What is the fine for calling a number on the Do Not Call Register?
For a company with no prior record, a court can impose up to 100 penalty units per call and 2,000 for all such calls on one day: $36,400 and $728,000 at $364 a unit from 1 July 2026. With a prior record the limits are 500 and 10,000 units. An ACMA infringement notice is 20 units per call, capped at 1,000 units for 50 or more.
Can my AI agent send a text message after the call?
Only under the Spam Act 2003: a marketing SMS needs express or reasonably inferred consent unless it is a designated message, and must identify the sender; a non-designated message must also carry a working unsubscribe. A yes on the call counts only if it was a yes to texts, and you must be able to prove it.
What happens when the Telemarketing Standard sunsets in 2027?
The 2017 Standard is in force with a scheduled repeal on 1 April 2027 and no replacement registered as at 4 October 2026. Section 125A(4) of the Telecommunications Act 1997 requires the ACMA to keep a telemarketing standard in force at all times, so expect a remade standard rather than a gap.
Where every figure on this page comes from
| Figure | Who published it | Link | Date read |
|---|---|---|---|
| s 4 “voice call” includes “a call that involves a recorded or synthetic voice”; “make includes attempt to make”; s 5 purposes; s 11(1) to (7) and (9); s 12; s 14 four eligible kinds of number; s 17; s 25 penalty units (100, 2,000, 20, 400, 500, 10,000); s 24(3); s 27 six years; s 30; s 9; Sch 1 designated calls; Sch 2 consent incl 3 months; Sch 3 infringement notices (20, 1,000 penalty units; one notice per day) | Federal Register of Legislation (Attorney-General’s Department): Do Not Call Register Act 2006, compilation 16 | C2006A00088 | 4 October 2026 |
| Regulation 6 excluded calls (six kinds, four solicited-call conditions, 6(8)); in force with scheduled repeal 1 April 2027 | Federal Register of Legislation: Do Not Call Register Regulations 2017 | F2017L00237 | 4 October 2026 |
| Standard ss 8 to 15: 9 am, 8 pm, 5 pm, 8.30 pm, Sunday, seven holidays, s 8(5) three conditions, 5 seconds, s 12 mechanism, s 13, 30-day return calls | ACMA (instrument on the Federal Register of Legislation) | F2017L00323 | 4 October 2026 |
| Standard in force; possible future status “Repealed” from 1 April 2027 under s 50 Legislation Act 2003; no replacement in a “Telemarketing” title search | Federal Register of Legislation API | titles(F2017L00323) | 4 October 2026 |
| s 125A(1) and (4); s 128; s 129; s 570(3)(b) $250,000 and (4)(b) $50,000; s 570(5); s 571(2) six years | Federal Register of Legislation: Telecommunications Act 1997, compilation 117 | C2004A05145 | 4 October 2026 |
| Penalty unit $364 from 1 July 2026 | Attorney-General: Crimes (Amount of a Penalty Unit) Instrument 2026, s 5 | F2026N00424 | 4 October 2026 |
| s 4AA(1) $330 subject to indexation; s 4AA(8) increase applies to offences on or after indexation day | Federal Register of Legislation: Crimes Act 1914 | C1914A00012 | 4 October 2026 |
| Spam Act s 5(5), s 16, s 17 (30 days), s 18 (30 days), Sch 1, Sch 2 cl 2, 4 and 6 (5 business days) | Federal Register of Legislation: Spam Act 2003, compilation 10 | C2004A01214 | 4 October 2026 |
| s 6D $3,000,000 and exceptions; s 6E; s 13K and 200 penalty units (5 times for a body corporate under Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014 s 82(5), applied by s 80U); s 13G, s 13H | Federal Register of Legislation: Privacy Act 1988, compilation 104 | C2004A03712 | 4 October 2026 |
| APP 7.1 to 7.8 text | Office of the Australian Information Commissioner | Read the APPs | 4 October 2026 |
| APP 7 still applies to the extent an organisation is exempt or partially exempt from the DNCR and Spam Acts (para 7.49); source request generally 30 days (para 7.47) | Office of the Australian Information Commissioner | APP guidelines, chapter 7 | 4 October 2026 |
| ACL s 3, s 69 ($100), s 76, s 78(2) (5 business days), s 79, s 82(3) (10 business days, 3 and 6 months), s 86 | Federal Register of Legislation: Competition and Consumer Act 2010, compilation 167 | C2004A00109 | 4 October 2026 |
| “pre-recorded or AI voices are all telemarketing calls”; “Over half of all active numbers in Australia are on the Do Not Call Register”; business numbers ineligible; mixed-purpose warning; “not legal advice” | ACMA: Statement of Expectations, use of consent in telemarketing and e-marketing | ACMA consent statement | 4 October 2026 |
| Synthetic voice calls “allowed under the telemarketing rules”; business numbers not eligible; mixed-use numbers; research calls with sales elements; SMS not covered | Do Not Call Register (operated for the ACMA) | FAQs for consumers | 4 October 2026 |
| Telemarketing complaints 17,660 (2023–24), 16,537 (2024–25), 10,174 (2025–26, Q1 to Q3) | ACMA | Action on scams, spam and telemarketing, Jan to Mar 2026 | 4 October 2026 |
| Two open consultations, none on the Telemarketing Standard | ACMA | Have your say | 4 October 2026 |
| Worked example: 500 of 1,000 numbers (assumption); $36,400; $728,000; 20-call crossover; $3,640,000; $364,000; $7,280; $145,600; $660,000 at the earlier $330 unit | Zian AI, calculated on this page from DNCR Act s 25 and Sch 3 and the 2026 penalty unit | This page | 4 October 2026 |
What this means if you run an AI voice agent into Australia
Australia does not care that your caller is synthetic. Compliance is mostly plumbing: a wash inside 30 days, dated consent records, a time-zone-aware scheduler, a scripted opening, a route to a human on request, and caller ID that answers for 30 days.
Zian AI builds autonomous phone, SMS, email and WhatsApp sales agents; SmartReach AI™ sets message, channel, timing and follow-up pacing, and PrecisionPitch AI™ split-tests scripts against real outcomes. We have run outbound acquisition since 2017, and the lesson in every market is this page’s: decide which rules a call triggers before the agent speaks.