About the Code

The Code is consistent with the Australian Government’s expectations and its development was led by an Industry Working Group including representatives from Match Group, Bumble, ParshipMeet, Spark, and Grindr. The working group engaged in extensive consultation with the Australian Government and other stakeholders throughout the drafting process, including external advocacy groups.

The Australian Government has no statutory powers to enforce compliance with the Code or seek the imposition of civil penalties on non-compliant dating services. However, the dating services which have signed up to the Code (Code signatories) have agreed to comply with the obligations set out in the Code. These obligations include annual reporting to regulators, and standards of accessibility and safety across platforms. There will be a six-month transition period from 1 October 2024 to allow for signatories to the Code to implement changes to their systems, processes and policies to enable them to comply with the Code.