Australia politically exposed persons (PEPs) alignment with AUSTRAC’s AML/CTF Reforms

Effective 31 March 2026, the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC) introduced a materially expanded definition of Politically Exposed Person (PEP) as part of the country's broader AML/CTF reform programme. The updated framework — amending the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 — broadens the categories of public functions that trigger PEP status.

In line with the latest regulatory guidance issued under AUSTRAC’s AML/CTF reforms, ComplyAdvantage is implementing key enhancements to our Australia dataset to ensure continued alignment with regulatory requirements, as outlined below:

• Expanding coverage for Commonwealth entities under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 (PGPA Act): The reform introduces a requirement to consider the accountable authority of a Commonwealth entity, as well as any member of that accountable authority, as defined under the PGPA Act, for PEP screening purposes. Accordingly, we will include these positions within our database.

• Refined scope for local government authorities: In alignment with the guidance, we are expanding our coverage of local government authorities. The guidance clarifies that the relevant function applies only to the Head of a local government council in a state or territory, irrespective of the population size. Accordingly, we will include these positions within our database.

• Refined scope for political parties: In alignment with the guidance, we are extending our coverage of political party governing bodies. We will now also include members of governing bodies for state/territory political parties that do have representation in a legislative body.

All other public functions designated as PEP-relevant under AML/CTF reform programme, which are not targeted for the enhancements announced above, are already covered and ready for screening in our database.