DSPANZ provided a submission to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission's (ASIC) Consultation Paper 391 Access to information on the companies register on 12 October 2026.
What we said
DSPANZ supported ASIC's objective of modernising the companies register and developing access settings that appropriately balance transparency and access to company information with privacy, safety and security.
Through its RegistryConnect program, ASIC has an opportunity to make authoritative companies register information more accessible and useful within the software businesses and advisers already use.
To realise this opportunity, the proposed access settings and supporting APIs should be designed together. In particular, ASIC should clarify how information can be accessed through business software (e.g. taxation, accounting and superannuation products) on behalf of authorised users and ensure its services support business workflows beyond traditional company searches.
ASIC should also recognise that there are many different types of DSPs that exist across the Australian digital ecosystem. The business and technical requirements to support the operations of an information broker will be substantially different to the requirements of business software providers.
Today, many business software providers do not currently interact directly with ASIC registry services, but the introduction of new APIs will create opportunities to validate information, support regulatory compliance and reduce manual processes.
DSPANZ recommended that ASIC:
- Enable authorised users to access register information throgh software, with clear rules for access tiers, verification, delegated authority and revocation.
- Provide machine-readable validation, matching and status services that support legitimate business and compliance needs while minimising unnecessary disclosure of personal information, including consideration of verification-scoped access.
- Recognise the different needs of information brokers and business software providers and engage both in designing commercially viable, technically ready API services, with DSPANZ supporting engagement with business software providers.
- Provide celear transitional access and redaction rules and work with AUSTRAC to resolve how the proposed service-address arrangements interact with AML/CTF obligations.
Read more in the full copy of our submission.
What happens next
ASIC is expected to report back on the submissions received with a draft legislative instrument in March 2027.
From 1 July 2027, director IDs will be published on the companies register as well as service addresses and electronic address lodgements. New registry services will also be made available alongside the access settings proposed in this consultation.
From 1 August 2028, ASIC is expected to complete the full implementation of the new information requirements and access settings.