Australia passes law to put director IDs on the ASIC companies register from July 2027
Australia's Government announced on 30 June 2026 the passage of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Business Registries Stabilisation and Uplift) Bill 2026. From 1 July 2027, companies must give ASIC their directors' identification numbers through annual reviews and change notifications, linking director IDs to the companies register. ASIC gets updated registry powers, and A$527.2 million goes to stabilising and upgrading the registers.
The Australian Government said on 30 June 2026 that it had secured passage of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Business Registries Stabilisation and Uplift) Bill 2026.
What changes
- From 1 July 2027, companies must give ASIC the director identification numbers (director IDs) of their directors, through existing reporting such as annual reviews and notices of changes to director details. Director IDs will then be linked to the ASIC companies register.
- More than 3 million directors already hold a director ID, which they get from Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS).
- ASIC gets updated registry powers to support digital services and strengthen registry integrity and protection against misuse of registry data.
- The Government is investing A$527.2 million to stabilise and upgrade the business registers, after cancelling the earlier Modernising Business Registers programme.
What to do
ASIC recommends checking that company and director details on its register are current and match ABRS records, and that every current director is recorded. ASIC will issue guidance before 1 July 2027.
Who is affected
Every Australian company and its directors, and the agents who lodge annual reviews and officeholder changes.