Skip to main content

About ASIC

Regulatory simplification

Navigating regulatory complexity is a significant challenge. ASIC is committed to simplifying regulation and improving how people interact with us.

Simplification is about making it easier to find regulatory information, interact with ASIC, and understand regulatory obligations. It supports effective enforcement, reduces unnecessary burden, and helps consumers, investors and businesses make informed decisions.

ASIC is undertaking a multi-year program focused on:

  • Improving access to regulatory information
  • Reducing complexity in regulatory instruments
  • Making it easier to interact with ASIC
  • Supporting simplification through law reform.

This long-term approach allows us to make meaningful changes in stages, prioritising what matters most while testing and learning to ensure each step is embedded sustainably.

This work also sits within the broader culture of continuous improvement to which ASIC is committed.

ASIC will update this webpage as this work develops.

Reports and publications

In September 2025, we published our regulatory simplification report. The report set out our initiatives and sought a broad range of views on how we can more efficiently and effectively administer the law in the areas we regulate, how we can make it easier to interact with us, and how we can simplify guidance, legislative instruments and forms.

In May 2026, we published our regulatory simplification progress report. The progress report provides an update on ASIC’s simplification work and reflects on the feedback we received to Regulatory simplification (REP 813).

ASIC Simplification Consultative Group

In 2025, ASIC Chair Joe Longo established the ASIC Simplification Consultative Group (ASCG), comprising highly respected consumer, business and industry leaders. The Group is co-chaired by Joe Longo and Nicola Wakefield-Evans (Board member of the Future Fund, non-executive director Viva Energy Group and Clean Energy Finance Corporation, and Board Chair of MetLife Australia).

The role of this group is to provide ASIC with fresh thinking and practical ideas to address key issues of regulatory complexity in areas of law administered by ASIC.

Members of the group are drawn from a broad range of organisations, including:

  • the Australian Institute of Company Directors
  • the Consumer Action Law Centre
  • Super Consumers Australia
  • the Governance Institute
  • Business Council of Australia
  • Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  • the Council of Small Business Organisations.

ASCG members

  • Joseph Longo (Co-Chair), ASIC Chair
  • Nicola Wakefield-Evans (Co-Chair), Board Member of Guardians of Future Fund, Non-Executive Director Viva Energy Group, Clean Energy Finance Corporation, Chair of MetLife Australia, Member of Takeovers Panel, GO Foundation Board, UNSW Foundation
  • Simon Birmingham, CEO, Australian Banking Association
  • Professor Ross Buckley, ARC Laureate Fellow & Scientia Professor, UNSW & Member RBA Payments System Board
  • Stephanie Tonkin, CEO, Consumer Action Law Centre
  • Bran Black, CEO, Business Council of Australia
  • Andrew McKellar, CEO, Australia Chamber of Commerce and Industry
  • Naomi Edwards, Chair, Australian Institute of Company Directors
  • Pauline Vamos, Chair, Governance Institute of Australia
  • Xavier O'Halloran, CEO and Founding Director, Super Consumers Australia
  • Adele Sutton, Head of Policy & Advocacy, Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia
  • Professor Andrew Godwin (Principal Fellow, Melbourne Law School, ex Special Counsel Australian Law Reform Commission)
  • Kate O’Rourke (ASIC Commissioner)

ASIC’s regulatory simplification work and initiatives

  • We have redesigned our website, removing over 9,000 pages of duplicated content and introducing streamlined navigation and advanced search tools.
  • We have piloted sector-specific regulatory roadmaps to help small companies and financial advice businesses access their key obligations in one place.
  • We have consulted with stakeholders to consolidate complex regulatory instruments into simpler, more navigable formats.
  • We have introduced electronic lodgement for high-volume forms and acceptance of electronic signatures across all ASIC forms.
  • We have implemented new call centre technology, improving service levels and customer experience, including reduced wait times when contacting ASIC.
  • We are taking steps towards implementing clearer, simpler and more user-centred regulatory guidance.
  • We are moving forward with a focus on continued improvement to ASIC registers through the RegistryConnect program and further expansion of digital transactions.
  • We are leading work with APRA on initiatives to reduce the regulatory burden relating to data collection, as part of broader work being conducted by the Council of Financial Regulators on better regulation.
  • We are continuing to engage with Treasury on law reform proposals.

Other recent improvements:

  • Streamlined misconduct reporting
  • Updated guidance for liquidators, making it easier to report misconduct
  • Cessation of automatic requests for supplementary liquidator reports in favour of targeted requests
  • Two-year IPO fast-track trial for ASX listings
  • Multi-factor authentication for improved security
  • New modern and integrated digital portal for AFS licence applications
  • Enhanced statutory dispatch functionality in the ASIC Portal

How to provide input

We continue to welcome information or suggestions from the public relevant to our simplification work. Now that consultation has closed, you can email the simplification group secretariat directly simplificationconsultativegroup@asic.gov.au.

For all other enquiries, please see alternative contact options on our Contact Us page.

What is ASIC going to do next

ASIC will continue to prioritise simplification initiatives that will ultimately become part of ASIC’s business-as-usual approach.

Relevant Media Releases