Nothing like waking up in Sydney to a one star review posted while you were asleep by someone who has never been to Sydney. Review removal in Australia follows the same platform rules as everywhere else, with one twist. Australia has some of the strongest consumer law on fake and misleading reviews, so working by the rules matters even more. Removal Lab helps Australian businesses and professionals dispute reviews and content that break Google, Trustpilot and social platform policies. Honest assessment first. No upfront payment on qualifying cases. That is review removal Australia can rely on: honest, quick and inside the law.
Review removal in Australia in one minute
Fake reviews, competitor reviews, reviews that expose private details and posts that break platform rules can be reported and often removed. Honest negative reviews from real customers stay. We tell you which is which before anything else.
What Australia businesses ask us most
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Can I get a fake Google review removed in Australia? | When it breaks Google policy, yes. The reporting route is the same worldwide. |
| Can a business ask customers to delete reviews? | No. Pressuring reviewers breaks platform rules and can breach consumer law. We never do it. |
| How do we work with a firm in Canada? | By email, phone and WhatsApp. We reply within one business day and the time difference rarely matters. |
| What about complaint sites and forums? | We assess them honestly and tell you which have a realistic route. |
Local rules worth knowing in Australia
Australian consumer law treats fake reviews and the removal of genuine reviews as misleading conduct, with serious penalties. Google, Trustpilot and the social platforms apply their global policies to Australian profiles. The safe and effective route is the platform’s own reporting system backed by evidence. That is the only route we use.
How we work with clients in Australia
We work with Australian clients in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and regional areas. Send the link, get an honest read within one business day and pay nothing upfront on qualifying cases. Everything is handled by email, phone or WhatsApp, so you never need to visit an office.
Platforms we handle for Australia clients
Google reviews and search results, Trustpilot, Yelp, Glassdoor, Indeed, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, Reddit, complaint sites and mugshot sites. If it is not on the list, ask. The policy routes are similar across most platforms.
Review removal Australia: what the ACCC lets businesses do
The ACCC publishes clear guidance on online reviews. It sits on top of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, which includes the Australian Consumer Law. Any review removal Australia plan has to fit inside it.
| You can | You cannot |
|---|---|
| Ask the review platform to remove a review you believe is false or misleading | Create fake reviews or arrange for others to write them |
| Respond publicly to correct the record | Publish reviews by family, staff or paid writers without stating the connection |
| Offer an incentive for reviews, if it applies whether the review is positive or negative and is clearly disclosed | Suppress or edit negative reviews, or remove genuine negative ones |
| Remove a review on your own site when you have an adequate basis to believe it is fake or misleading | Leave reviews up on your own site that you know, or should know, are fake |
The ACCC backs this with real cases. It lists a $600,000 Federal Court penalty against Service Seeking for publishing reviews the businesses drafted themselves. It also lists $2.9 million in penalties against HealthEngine, which included misleading patient reviews. The ACCC also says it does not resolve individual review disputes.
Deleting the bad ones is not the answer
The ACCC warns that removing genuine negative reviews can itself mislead consumers. A clean profile built by hiding honest criticism is a legal risk, not a fix. We only report reviews that break a platform rule.
Steps to report a review in Australia
This is the order we use for a review removal Australia case. It follows the ACCC guidance and the platform rules.
- Report it on the platform. On Google, open your Business Profile, select Read reviews, choose the flag icon next to the review, pick a reason and select Send report. Google says evaluation usually takes several days.
- Give reasons, not feelings. The ACCC guide says businesses should notify the platform, identify the affected reviews and provide reasons. Name the rule and the facts that show the breach.
- Reply once in public. The ACCC says a business can respond to correct the public record. See how to respond to a negative review.
- Appeal if it comes back as no violation. Google offers a one time appeal through the Reviews Management Tool.
- Use other routes only when they fit. eSafety, a defamation lawyer or the police each cover narrow situations, set out below.
Who handles what in Australia
| Problem | Who to contact | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Fake or off topic review on Google or Trustpilot | The platform | The platform decides under its own rules |
| A campaign of fake negative reviews | The platform plus relevant regulators such as the ACCC | The ACCC guide says affected businesses have the right to complain to both |
| Seriously harmful abuse aimed at a named staff member | The platform first, then eSafety | eSafety acts on complaints from the adult targeted, or someone they authorise |
| A false claim of a crime about a small business owner | A defamation lawyer | Strict tests apply, explained below |
| Ongoing harassment or serious threats | Police | The ACCC guide mentions police for extreme circumstances |
Getting this table right saves weeks in review removal Australia cases. eSafety is often misunderstood. Its adult cyber abuse team handles seriously harmful content aimed at an adult person. It asks you to report to the platform first. It says it cannot tell you who is behind an anonymous or fake account and cannot act once the content has been removed. A one star review of your business is not what it is for.
Most review removal Australia cases end at row one. The platform rules are broad enough to cover fake, off topic and abusive reviews.
Defamation and reviews in Australia
Defamation law in Australia is made by each state and territory, so it is the last stop in review removal Australia work, not the first. Under the New South Wales Defamation Act 2005 most companies cannot sue for defamation at all. Only an excluded corporation can. That means a not for profit body, or a company with fewer than 10 employees that is not an associated entity of another corporation. Even then it must show serious harm, which for a company means serious financial loss. Before suing, the person must also send a concerns notice.
NSW and the ACT were the first to adopt newer national changes for digital intermediaries from 1 July 2024. The NSW Government names review websites, search engines and social media platforms as examples. Under the changes, a person can complain to the intermediary. To rely on the new digital intermediary defence, the site must take reasonable steps to prevent access, where available, within seven days of a written complaint. Check the rules in your own state with a lawyer. Our defamation removal page explains when this path makes sense.
A review removal Australia example
This is a made up example to show the steps. It is not a client case.
A Brisbane plumbing business has four staff. A Google review says the owner stole cash from a customer’s home. The business has no job, quote or call on record for that name or suburb. A second review, from a real customer, says the plumber arrived an hour late.
| Review | What the business does | Likely outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Theft claim with no matching job | Flags it on Google, gives reasons and keeps a record of the search of its job system | A real case. Google lists unsubstantiated accusations under offensive content |
| Late arrival from a real customer | Replies with an apology and what it changed | Stays up. Removing it would be the kind of suppression the ACCC warns about |
In this example the owner could also speak to a lawyer, because the business has fewer than 10 employees. Most owners wait for the platform answer first, which is the normal order in review removal Australia work. Trade businesses face this often, which is why we wrote review removal for contractors. For the Google rules in detail, see Google review policy violations.
Review removal Australia: the Australian Consumer Law in plain English
The ACCC guidance above sits on the Australian Consumer Law, which is part of the Competition and Consumer Act. Two groups of sections do most of the work on reviews. Consumer Affairs Victoria explains both in its guide for business.
| Australian Consumer Law | What it covers | How it shows up in reviews |
|---|---|---|
| Sections 18 and 19: misleading or deceptive conduct | Statements in trade that create a false overall impression. A business can mislead without meaning to. Small print rarely saves it. | A rating built by hiding honest criticism, or reviews from staff passed off as customers. |
| Sections 29 to 34: false or misleading representations | Includes any false or misleading representation that claims to be a testimonial, or is about one. | Fake testimonials on your own website, or invented customer stories in ads. |
Consumer Affairs Victoria gives a real example. A removalist used fabricated consumer identities to post testimonials and paid three infringement notices totalling $30,600. The ACCC page on product and service review rules says plainly that it is against the law for a business to create fake or misleading reviews or to arrange for others to do so. Every review removal Australia case has to start from there: report the fakes, never manufacture the fix.
What the ACCC expects from review platforms
The ACCC guide for business and review platforms also tells the platforms what good practice looks like. That matters, because it is the standard you can quote back to them when you report a review.
- Remove known fakes. The ACCC recommends that platforms remove reviews they know to be fake.
- Give people a way to flag. The guide suggests buttons near reviews so users can flag suspect ones.
- Act on evidence. Platforms should react swiftly if evidence suggests a review does not reflect a genuinely held opinion.
- Publish the rules. The policy for publishing and removing content should be accessible to users.
- Disclose commercial ties. Where a platform has a commercial relationship with a reviewed business, the ACCC recommends telling consumers.
- No selective removal. Removing or editing negative reviews for commercial or promotional reasons may be misleading.
The guide is just as clear the other way. It calls it clearly inappropriate to remove negative reviews just because a business complains. Where a business has a well substantiated reason to believe a review is fake, the platform should investigate and remove it as soon as possible.
Use the ACCC’s own words in your report
When you flag a review on an Australian site, say why you have a well substantiated reason to believe it is fake. That is the phrase the ACCC guide uses. Then give the facts the platform can check: no job, no booking, no account, a location you do not serve.
Australian review sites and their own rules
Google and Trustpilot follow the same rules worldwide. Australia also has its own review sites, each with its own policy and report button. This is what each one says.
| Platform | How to report | What breaks the rules | What stays up |
|---|---|---|---|
| ProductReview.com.au | Click the flag icon under the post. Be detailed and factual and give as much evidence as you can. | Personal details such as full names, phone numbers or email addresses. Personal attacks, threats or vilification. Reviews from anyone affiliated with the listing. Incentives not offered to all customers equally. | Reviews that meet its Posting Guidelines. It says simply disagreeing with a review does not mean it comes down. |
| Word of Mouth | Flag the review as Suspect or Inappropriate. Its team investigates, may ask both sides for evidence and offers mediation where the reviewer is anonymous. | Reviews from people who did not transact with the business, offensive or abusive language, singling out an individual, advertising, AI written reviews and fake reviews, positive or negative. | Reviews that comply. It will not investigate reviews more than 12 months old unless they seriously breach its conditions of use. |
A few details make a real difference. ProductReview warns that a reviewer’s username not matching your customer database is insufficient evidence on its own, so a report needs more than that. It also lists penalties for fake positive reviews, from a notice on the listing to locking the listing or referring the matter to the ACCC. Word of Mouth says a business cannot pay it to have a review held back, amended or taken down, that its decision is final and that it will not publish content about the clinical competency of health practitioners. Both sites let the business reply, which is often the fastest way to protect the next customer’s view. hipages also carries reviews of trades. We could not verify its current review rules for this page, so we do not quote them here. We read them on every hipages case before advising.
The rules are the same in every city. For local detail see review removal in Sydney, review removal in Melbourne and review removal in Brisbane.
The new defamation defence for digital intermediaries
The NSW changes above are part of a national package. The Queensland explanatory notes list New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania and the Northern Territory as having enacted it. Queensland has passed its own amending Act and the Northern Territory says its amending Act has commenced. Wording and section numbers can differ from state to state, so check yours with a lawyer.
| What changed | What it means for a review |
|---|---|
| A defence for publications involving digital intermediaries, section 31A in the Queensland Act. | A review site can rely on it only if it had an accessible complaints mechanism. |
| If you gave a written complaint, the site must have taken reasonable access prevention steps, where available, before the complaint or within 7 days after it. | A clear written complaint starts a clock that matters. Keep a copy and the date you sent it. |
| The defence can be defeated only if the plaintiff proves malice. | Proving malice is a high bar. A lawyer can tell you whether it is realistic in your case. |
| Search engines are exempt where their role was limited to an automated process for generating results. Sponsored results are not covered. | Complain to the site that hosts the review, not the search engine that shows it. |
For most businesses this changes the order, not the goal. Report the review under the platform rules first. If it is defamatory and the platform does nothing, a written complaint under the new rules is the next step. Our defamation removal page explains when that path makes sense.
How Removal Lab works
- Tell us what is out there. Send the link or a screenshot. It takes two minutes.
- We check it against the platform rules. A real specialist reads the content and tells you honestly whether it qualifies. No charge for this.
- We build the case and file it. Evidence, the right policy, the right channel.
- You pay only when it is gone. No upfront payment on qualifying cases. If the platform says no, you owe nothing.
What we will never do
- Promise a removal. Platforms decide, not us.
- Post fake reviews or pay anyone to delete one.
- Threaten or pressure the person who posted.
- Take money upfront for a case that does not qualify.
In the United States the FTC rule on consumer reviews, in force since late 2024, bans fake reviews and bans suppressing reviews through threats or intimidation. Working by the rules is the only way that protects you.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
Does Removal Lab have an office in Australia?
No. Our offices are in Toronto and New York. Australian clients are served remotely.
Can an Australian business delete a Google review?
No. Only Google can. We report reviews that break Google policy and build the case.
How long does review removal in Australia take?
Google says reported reviews are usually evaluated within several days. We reply within one business day.
What does it cost?
The check is free. On qualifying cases there is no upfront payment.
Do you handle personal cases in Australia?
Yes. Individuals and professionals with harmful search results, posts or personal information online.
Can an Australian company sue over a defamatory review?
Only in limited cases. Under the NSW Defamation Act a company can sue only if it is not for profit or has fewer than 10 employees and is not associated with another corporation. It must also show serious financial loss.
Does the ACCC remove fake reviews?
No. The ACCC says it does not resolve individual review disputes. You ask the platform to remove a false or misleading review and you can also complain to regulators such as the ACCC about fake review conduct.
Can I get a ProductReview.com.au review removed?
Only if it breaks its Posting Guidelines. Flag it with the flag icon and give detailed, factual reasons with evidence. ProductReview says simply disagreeing with a review does not mean it comes down.
Will Word of Mouth remove a review older than 12 months?
Usually not. Its Fair Play Policy says it will not investigate reviews more than 12 months old unless they are in serious breach of its conditions of use.
What does the Australian Consumer Law say about fake reviews?
It bans misleading or deceptive conduct and false or misleading representations, including ones that claim to be testimonials. The ACCC says it is against the law for a business to create fake reviews or arrange for others to do so.
What must Australian review platforms do about fake reviews?
The ACCC guide recommends that platforms remove reviews they know to be fake, give users a way to flag suspect reviews and react swiftly when evidence suggests a review is not a genuinely held opinion.
Does a written complaint matter under the new defamation rules?
Yes. To rely on the digital intermediary defence, a site that received a written complaint needs to show it took reasonable access prevention steps, where available, within 7 days.
Removal Lab does not work for any platform and cannot remove content directly. Every decision is made by the platform. Offices in Toronto and New York. Serving clients in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the UAE and Switzerland.
Sources we work from: Google Maps prohibited and restricted content, Google Business Profile Help on removing reviews, Trustpilot guidelines for businesses and the FTC rule on consumer reviews and testimonials. For this page we also checked ACCC on managing online reviews, ACCC on online reviews for products and services, ACCC guide for business and review platforms, eSafety on what its adult cyber abuse team does, Defamation Act 2005 (NSW) and NSW Government on the 2024 digital defamation laws. We also checked Consumer Affairs Victoria on avoiding unfair business practices, ProductReview.com.au Posting Guidelines, ProductReview on why a reported review was not removed, Word of Mouth Fair Play Policy, Word of Mouth FAQs for businesses, Queensland explanatory notes on the defamation amendments, Queensland Defamation and Other Legislation Amendment Act and Northern Territory Attorney General on changes to defamation law.