Buy Australian First

BAF Verification

Verification Standard & Terms

Last updated: 15 August 2026

These terms explain the standards and process Buy Australian First Pty Ltd (BAF) intends to apply when public BAF verification applications open. BAF verification is separate from ordinary directory inclusion and cannot be purchased without satisfying the applicable evidence standard.

1. Verification statuses

BAF may grant one of the following approved statuses:

  • BAF Verified Australian Owned;
  • BAF Verified Australian Made; or
  • BAF Verified Australian Owned & Made.

Each status is subject to an approved scope, validity period and BAF ID. A business must not represent that it has a status that is not currently shown as valid in BAF's records.

2. Australian Owned standard

To qualify as BAF Verified Australian Owned, BAF's working standard requires at least 80% Australian ultimate beneficial ownership and effective control of the applicant business.

For this purpose, BAF generally treats qualifying Australian ownership as ownership ultimately held by Australian citizens or permanent residents, or by entities whose underlying ownership satisfies the same standard. BAF looks beyond an Australian incorporation address where necessary to understand the ultimate ownership of a company, trust, partnership or corporate group.

Complex ownership arrangements may require additional evidence. BAF may decline or defer verification if ultimate ownership or control cannot be established to a reasonable level of confidence.

3. Australian Made standard

BAF Verified Australian Made applies only to the product, products or defined product range approved by BAF. The applicant must provide evidence supporting that the goods are made or manufactured in Australia.

BAF will have regard to the Australian Consumer Law country-of-origin concept of substantial transformation. In general, the last substantial step in making the product must occur in Australia and that processing must create a product fundamentally different in identity, nature or essential character from its imported ingredients or components.

Packaging, labelling, applying a logo, minor finishing work or other processing that does not fundamentally transform an imported finished product will not, by itself, satisfy the BAF Australian Made standard.

Imported ingredients or components do not automatically prevent Australian Made verification where the relevant manufacturing process in Australia satisfies the applicable standard. Additional statutory labelling rules may apply to some products, including food, and remain the responsibility of the business.

4. Australian Owned & Made

The combined status is available only where the applicant satisfies the BAF Australian Owned standard and the approved product scope separately satisfies the BAF Australian Made standard.

5. Evidence BAF may request

Depending on the application, evidence may include:

  • ABN and ASIC or other public registration information;
  • current shareholder or ownership records;
  • trust, partnership or corporate-structure information where relevant;
  • signed declarations or statutory declarations where appropriate;
  • manufacturing addresses, process descriptions and production records;
  • supplier, component, material or production documentation;
  • invoices, photographs or other records supporting Australian manufacture;
  • information identifying the exact products or ranges to be verified; and
  • other evidence reasonably required to resolve an assessment question.

Applicants should redact unrelated personal information. BAF does not require TFNs or Director IDs and applicants should not upload them.

6. Applicant declarations and acknowledgement

Before submitting a public verification application, BAF will require the authorised applicant to acknowledge the current BAF Verification Standard & Terms. By submitting an application, the applicant confirms that:

  • the person submitting it is authorised to act for the business;
  • information and evidence supplied is true, current and not misleading;
  • documents have not been materially altered to create a false impression;
  • BAF may conduct reasonable checks relevant to the application;
  • BAF may conduct reasonable compliance reviews or audits during the verification period; and
  • the applicant will promptly answer reasonable requests for further information.

7. Assessment

BAF assesses applications on the available evidence and the applicable standard. BAF may approve, reject, defer or request more information. Submission of an application does not create an entitlement to verification.

Payment, sponsorship, advertising, featured placement, founding-business recognition or any other commercial relationship must not determine the outcome of a verification assessment.

8. Scope and public record

An approval may be limited to a named legal entity, trading business, location, product or product range. BAF may publish the business name, applicable status, approved scope, BAF ID, verification date and expiry date so consumers can check the claim.

If only some products qualify as Australian Made, the business must not present the badge or BAF record in a way that creates the impression that all products it sells are Australian made.

9. Verification period and renewal

Unless BAF expressly states otherwise, verification is valid for 12 months from approval. Continued use after that period requires renewal and any re-assessment BAF reasonably requires.

Expired verification must not be represented as current. Renewal is not automatic approval: BAF may require updated ownership or manufacturing evidence.

10. Duty to notify BAF of material changes

A verified business must notify BAF within 30 days of becoming aware of a material change that could affect its status, including a significant ownership change, sale of the business, restructure, change of manufacturing country or process, outsourcing of production, or material change to the approved product range.

11. Compliance reviews and audits

To protect the integrity of BAF verification, BAF may conduct reasonable compliance reviews during a verification period. Reviews may be risk-based, complaint-triggered or selected as part of a periodic audit program.

A review may require updated ownership records, manufacturing-process details, supplier or component invoices, production records, examples of badge use or other evidence reasonably related to the approved status. Where proportionate and agreed in advance, BAF may also require a remote or on-site review of a manufacturing or business location.

A verified business must reasonably cooperate with a compliance review. BAF may use an appropriately qualified external reviewer or auditor where useful. Any external reviewer receiving non-public verification evidence must be subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations.

12. Confidentiality of verification evidence

Ownership, manufacturing and audit evidence supplied privately to BAF is treated as confidential verification material and is not published merely because it was submitted. BAF may use the evidence for assessment, compliance, appeals, fraud prevention, legal obligations and verification-record integrity.

BAF may publicly disclose the verification outcome, approved scope, BAF ID, validity dates and any suspension, expiry or revocation status that consumers reasonably need in order to understand whether a verification is current.

13. Removal or variation of part of an approved scope

If one product, product line, manufacturing site or other part of an approved scope no longer meets the standard, BAF may remove or vary that part of the approval without necessarily revoking every other part that continues to comply.

The business must then stop using the badge or verification claim for the removed scope and update affected marketing in accordance with the Badge Licence Terms.

14. Suspension and revocation

BAF may suspend verification while a material eligibility concern is being investigated. BAF may revoke verification where it reasonably determines that the standard is no longer met, the application contained material false or misleading information, required evidence was fabricated, the business refuses a reasonable re-verification or audit request, or continued use would create a materially misleading public impression.

Except where urgent action is reasonably necessary to prevent public deception, security risk or unlawful use, BAF will give the business the reason for the proposed adverse action and a reasonable opportunity to respond.

15. Appeals

An applicant or verified business may request review of a rejection, scope variation, suspension or revocation under the Corrections, Complaints & Appeals Policy. An appeal must identify the decision challenged and provide the evidence or reasons said to justify a different outcome.

16. Badge use

Approval gives the verified business a limited right to use the relevant BAF badge only in accordance with the BAF Verified Badge Licence Terms. The badge remains BAF intellectual property and its use must stop when the relevant verification expires, is suspended or is revoked.

17. Relationship to government and other schemes

BAF is an independent private verification program. BAF verification is not a government approval and is separate from the Australian Made, Australian Grown certification trade mark and from any other third-party certification or membership scheme.

18. Consumer law

Nothing in these terms authorises a business to make a representation that is false or misleading under the Australian Consumer Law. A BAF badge must always be used consistently with the approved status and scope and with the overall impression created by the business's advertising, packaging and marketing.

19. Fees

Public verification applications are not currently open. When paid verification opens, the current fee, payment timing, renewal basis and refund terms will be displayed before a business pays and will also be governed by the Payments, Renewals & Refunds Policy.

20. Contact

Questions about the standard can be sent to admin@buyaustralianfirst.com.au.

See all documents on Legal & Policies.