---
title: Staying compliant with the Spam Act
description: Are you including unsubscribe links in your marketing emails? Here’s why it matters.
---

[Hub ](http://afgonline-com-au-2946851.hs-sites.com/pm-update)

# [Staying compliant with the Spam Act](http://afgonline-com-au-2946851.hs-sites.com/pm-update/staying-compliant-with-the-spam-act)

 Written by [AFG](http://afgonline-com-au-2946851.hs-sites.com/pm-update/author/afg) | 8 August 2025 4:36:36 AM

**Are you including unsubscribe links in your marketing emails? Here’s why it matters.**

We want to make sure you are following the Australian Communications and Media Authority rules when communicating with clients, even one-to-one emails can count as commercial and need an easy way to unsubscribe.

Under the Spam Act 2003 (Cth), every commercial electronic message (even if non-automated like SMART marketing emails) must include a functional unsubscribe facility.

The Spam Act defines a “commercial electronic message” as any electronic message where it could be concluded that the purpose, or one of the purposes, of the message is to (among other things):

- offer to supply goods or services;
- advertise or promote goods or services;
- advertise or promote a supplier, or prospective supplier, of goods or services; or
- advertise or promote a provider, or prospective provider, of a business opportunity or investment opportunity

The Australian Communications and Media Authority enforces these rules and can issue significant fines for non-compliance.

As an example, please see the following articles in relation to:

- [Latitude breaching the Spam Act](https://www.acma.gov.au/articles/2022-09/latitude-finance-pays-155m-penalty-spam-breaches) when it failed to recognise that more than three million emails and texts were commercial in nature, and therefore subject to the Act (further details in the email attached); and
- [CBA breaching the Spam Act](https://www.acma.gov.au/articles/2024-10/commonwealth-bank-pays-75m-more-spam-breaches) by sending over 170 million marketing messages to Australians (based on unique email templates) that did not include a way to unsubscribe.

[View full post](http://afgonline-com-au-2946851.hs-sites.com/pm-update/staying-compliant-with-the-spam-act)

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