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Reference · Designated services · s 6

Section 6: every designated service, table by table

You are a reporting entity because of a service the Act names, not because of your profession. Section 6 names them in six tables. This is all six — which one is yours, what it says, and what AUSTRAC Online calls it.

The nine professional services, in depth

Educational purposes only
This page is general education about Australian law, published by a technology company. It is not legal advice and does not tell you whether your business is a reporting entity. Read the provisions on the Register and take advice on your own circumstances.

The short answer

Six tables, one question: which service do you provide?

THE ACT — s 6(1)
“For the purposes of this Act, the following tables define: (a) the provision of a designated service; and (b) the person (the customer) to whom the designated service is provided.”

AML/CTF Act 2006 (Cth), s 6 — Compilation No. 62 (C2026C00274), compilation date 1 July 2026

Three of the six tables are why a lawyer, accountant, conveyancer, real estate agent or jeweller is reading this page: Table 6 (professional services), Table 5 (real estate) and item 2 of Table 2 (precious metals, stones and products) were inserted or expanded by the Amendment Act 2024 and have applied since 1 July 2026. The other three have regulated banks, remitters and gambling providers since 2006. Find your table below, then read the item — the customer column matters as much as the service, because it is the customer you owe due diligence to.

The six designated-service tables in section 6 of the AML/CTF Act 2006
TableWho it reachesItemsOn this page
Table 1s 6(2)Financial services. Banks and other ADIs, credit unions, building societies, lenders, remitters, custodians, securities and derivatives dealers, superannuation and managed-investment providers, currency exchangers, and — since 31 March 2026 — virtual asset service providers (items 46A and 50A–50C).Items 1–54, with lettered insertionsOutlined, with the Register link
Table 2s 6(3)Bullion and precious metals, stones and products. Bullion dealers (item 1, since 2006) and, since 1 July 2026, jewellers and other dealers who buy or sell precious metals, stones or products for $10,000 or more in physical currency or virtual assets (item 2).2 itemsTranche 2 · item 2Quoted in full
Table 3s 6(4)Gambling services. Casinos, bookmakers and betting agencies, pubs and clubs with gaming machines, lotteries and other games of chance, and the exchange of chips, tokens or currency by a gambling service provider.14 itemsOutlined, with the Register link
Table 4s 6(5)Prescribed services. A service specified in the regulations, provided to the person the regulations say it is provided to.1 itemQuoted in full
Table 5s 6(5A)Real estate services. Real estate agents and buyer’s agents (item 1, brokering), and property developers or anyone else selling or transferring real estate as a business without an independent agent (item 2).2 itemsTranche 2 · items 1 and 2Quoted in full
Table 6s 6(5B)Professional services. Lawyers, accountants, conveyancers, and trust and company service providers — anyone who assists with a real estate or entity transaction, holds client money in a transaction, creates or restructures an entity, sells shelf companies, acts as or arranges a nominee, or provides a registered office address.9 itemsTranche 2 · items 1–9Quoted in fullThe nine, in depth

Structure checked against AML/CTF Act 2006 (Cth), s 6 — Compilation No. 62 (C2026C00274), compilation date 1 July 2026 on 12 September 2026

Table 6 · s 6(5B)Tranche 2 · items 1–9

Table 6 — professional services

The table for lawyers, accountants, conveyancers and trust and company service providers. Each item below links to its own entry on the Table 6 page, where the exclusions in s 6(5C)–(5E), AUSTRAC’s reading of “assisting”, and the worked examples live. They are not repeated here.

Table 6 of subsection 6(5B): the nine professional designated services and the customer of each
ItemProvision of a designated serviceCustomer of the designated service
1assisting a person in the planning or execution of a transaction, or otherwise acting for or on behalf of a person in a transaction, to sell, buy or otherwise transfer real estate, where: (a) the service is provided in the course of carrying on a business; and (b) the sale, purchase or other transfer is not pursuant to, or resulting from, an order of a court or tribunalthe person
2assisting a person in the planning or execution of a transaction, or otherwise acting for or on behalf of a person in a transaction, to sell, buy or otherwise transfer a body corporate or legal arrangement, where: (a) the service is provided in the course of carrying on a business; and (b) the sale, purchase or other transfer is not pursuant to, or resulting from, an order of a court or tribunalthe person
3receiving, holding and controlling (including disbursing) or managing a person’s: (a) money; or (b) accounts; or (c) securities and securities accounts; or (d) virtual assets; or (e) other property; as part of assisting the person in the planning or execution of a transaction, or otherwise acting for or on behalf of a person in a transaction, in the course of carrying on a business (other than in a circumstance covered by subsection (5C))the person
4assisting a person in organising, planning or executing a transaction, or otherwise acting for or on behalf of a person in a transaction, for equity or debt financing relating to: (a) a body corporate (or proposed body corporate); or (b) a legal arrangement (or proposed legal arrangement); in the course of carrying on a businessthe person
5selling or transferring a shelf company, in the course of carrying on a businessthe buyer or transferee
6assisting a person to plan or execute, or otherwise acting on behalf of a person in, the creation or restructuring of: (a) a body corporate (other than a corporation under the Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006); or (b) a legal arrangement; in the course of carrying on a businessthe person and: (a) if the body corporate is a company and the service is creating the company—the beneficial owners and directors of the company; or (b) if the legal arrangement is an express trust and the service is creating the express trust—the trustee, settlor and beneficiaries of the trust
7acting as, or arranging for another person to act as, any of the following, on behalf of a person (the nominator), in the course of carrying on a business: (a) a director or secretary of a company; (b) a power of attorney of a body corporate or legal arrangement; (c) a partner in a partnership; (d) a trustee of an express trust; (e) a position in any other legal arrangement that is functionally equivalent to a position mentioned in any of the above paragraphs; other than in a circumstance covered by subsection (5E)the nominator
8acting as, or arranging for another person to act as, a nominee shareholder of a body corporate or legal arrangement, on behalf of a person (the nominator), in the course of carrying on a businessthe nominator
9providing a registered office address or principal place of business address of a body corporate or legal arrangement, in the course of carrying on a businessthe person to whom the service is provided

THE ACT — s 6(5B), TABLE 6, quoted word for word

Every Table 6 item in depth: exclusions, “assisting”, and the current AUSTRAC guidance

Table 5 · s 6(5A)Tranche 2 · items 1 and 2

Table 5 — real estate services

Two items. Item 1 is the agent who brokers a sale, purchase or transfer — and its customer is both sides of the deal. Item 2 is the developer or anyone else who sells or transfers real estate as a business without an independent agent in between. A conveyancer or lawyer who assists with the same transaction is not here; they are Table 6, item 1.

Table 5 of subsection 6(5A): the two real estate designated services and the customer of each
ItemProvision of a designated serviceCustomer of the designated service
1brokering the sale, purchase or transfer of real estate on behalf of a buyer, seller, transferee or transferor in the course of carrying on a businessboth: (a) the seller or transferor; and (b) the buyer or transferee
2selling or transferring real estate in the course of carrying on a business selling real estate, where the sale or transfer is not brokered by an independent real estate agentthe buyer or transferee

THE ACT — s 6(5A), TABLE 5, quoted word for word

Inserted by the Amendment Act 2024; applies from 1 July 2026. On 31 August 2026 AUSTRAC added guidance on how licences to occupy and leasehold arrangements are treated — see its Real estate designated services page.

Table 2 · s 6(3)Tranche 2 · item 2

Table 2 — bullion and precious metals, stones and products

Item 1 has regulated bullion dealers since 2006. Item 2 is the Tranche 2 addition: it reaches jewellers and other dealers, and it turns on how a purchase is paid for rather than what it costs.

Table 2 of subsection 6(3): bullion and precious metals, stones and products, and the customer of each
ItemProvision of a designated serviceCustomer of the designated service
1buying or selling bullion, where the buying or selling is in the course of carrying on a bullion‑dealing businessthe buyer or the seller (as the case may be)
2buying or selling one or more of the following items in the course of carrying on a business, where the purchase involves the transfer of physical currency or virtual assets (or a combination of physical currency and virtual assets) with a total value of not less than $10,000, whether the purchase is made in a single transaction or in several transactions that are linked or appear to be linked: (a) precious metal; (b) precious stones; (c) precious products; (d) any combination of any 2 or more of the items referred to in paragraphs (a) to (c)the buyer or the seller (as the case may be)

THE ACT — s 6(3), TABLE 2, quoted word for word

Item 1The Act defines bullion as gold, silver, platinum or palladium in the relevant forms. Section 39E exempts item 1 where the retail value of the bullion is less than $5,000.

Item 2The $10,000 threshold bites on physical currency or virtual assets, not on the sale price — a $60,000 ring paid for by card is not item 2; the same ring paid for with $10,000 cash and the rest by card is. “Precious product” is defined widely in s 5A and reaches jewellery, watches and objects of personal adornment.

The enrolment form

What AUSTRAC Online calls each service

The enrolment form does not use the Act’s item numbers. It offers plain names — “Conveyancing services”, “Business structuring services”, “Facilitating or performing roles in corporate/legal arrangements” — grouped by sector, and leaves you to work out which Act item you are enrolling under. This is our mapping of each name to its table and item, read from the wording of the name against the Act. AUSTRAC does not publish a crosswalk; if a name does not obviously fit what you do, ask AUSTRAC before you pick it.

AUSTRAC Online designated service names mapped to the Act’s tables and items
AUSTRAC Online nameAct table · itemForm group
Conveyancing servicesTable 6 · item 1Professional services
Buying, selling, or transferring a company or legal entityTable 6 · item 2Professional services
Asset managementTable 6 · item 3Professional services
Facilitating business equity and debt financingTable 6 · item 4Professional services
Shelf company servicesTable 6 · item 5Professional services
Business structuring servicesTable 6 · item 6Professional services
Facilitating or performing roles in corporate/legal arrangementsTable 6 · item 7Professional services
Nominee shareholder servicesTable 6 · item 8Professional services
Providing registered or principal address servicesTable 6 · item 9Professional services
Sales, purchases or transfers of real estate – brokeredTable 5 · item 1Real estate services
Sales or transfers of real estate – non-brokeredTable 5 · item 2Real estate services
Buy or sell bullionTable 2 · item 1Bullion and precious metals, stones and products
Buy or sell precious metals, precious stones or precious productsTable 2 · item 2Bullion and precious metals, stones and products

Names as published on AUSTRAC’s “New enrolment form questions” and “Designated service name changes” pages (28 July 2026). Mapping is Lex-AML’s reading, not AUSTRAC’s.

The same form also lists the virtual asset services that joined Table 1 on 31 March 2026 (safekeeping, exchange, and financial services connected to a virtual asset offer), the gambling and financial names, and the remittance services that need registration as well as enrolment. None of those are Tranche 2 sectors and they are not mapped here.

The other three tables

Tables 1, 3 and 4 — who they reach, and where to read them

These three are not why the regime expanded in 2026, and a Tranche 2 business is rarely in them. They are outlined here so the map is complete; the items themselves are on the Register, one click away.

Table 1 · s 6(2)

Table 1 — Financial servicesItems 1–54, with lettered insertions

Banks and other ADIs, credit unions, building societies, lenders, remitters, custodians, securities and derivatives dealers, superannuation and managed-investment providers, currency exchangers, and — since 31 March 2026 — virtual asset service providers (items 46A and 50A–50C).

The original 2006 regime. Item 54 is the AFSL holder who only makes arrangements for a person to receive a designated service; AUSTRAC publishes a separate exemption for businesses that provide item 54 and nothing else.

Read Table 1 on the Federal Register of Legislation

Table 3 · s 6(4)

Table 3 — Gambling services14 items

Casinos, bookmakers and betting agencies, pubs and clubs with gaming machines, lotteries and other games of chance, and the exchange of chips, tokens or currency by a gambling service provider.

Not part of the Tranche 2 expansion. Gambling providers have been reporting entities since 2006.

Read Table 3 on the Federal Register of Legislation

Table 4 · s 6(5)

Table 4 — Prescribed services1 item

A service specified in the regulations, provided to the person the regulations say it is provided to.

THE ACT — s 6(5), TABLE 4, ITEM 1
“providing a service specified in the regulations”

Customer of the designated service: “the person who, under the regulations, is taken to be the person to whom the service is provided”

A mechanism rather than a list: it lets a service be made designated by regulation without amending the Act. What, if anything, is prescribed at any time is in the regulations, not in s 6 — check them rather than assuming the table is empty.

Read Table 4 on the Federal Register of Legislation

On video

The Tranche 2 designated services, read from the Act

The same tables, read aloud with the provisions on screen. The written list above is the reference; the video is the walk-through.

Questions people arrive with

Is a profession automatically a reporting entity?
No. Section 6 defines designated services, not professions. A business is a reporting entity because it provides a service listed in one of the six tables in the course of carrying on a business. Two lawyers, or two accountants, can sit on opposite sides of the line depending on what they actually do.
Where are the professional services in section 6?
Table 6, in subsection 6(5B): nine items covering real estate and entity transactions, holding or managing client money in a transaction, equity and debt financing, shelf companies, creating or restructuring entities, nominee roles, nominee shareholdings and registered office addresses.
Where are the real estate services?
Table 5, in subsection 6(5A): item 1 is brokering the sale, purchase or transfer of real estate on behalf of a party; item 2 is selling or transferring real estate as a business where the sale is not brokered by an independent agent.
AUSTRAC Online uses a different name for my service. Which item is it?
AUSTRAC Online groups services under plain names such as “Conveyancing services” or “Facilitating or performing roles in corporate/legal arrangements”. This page maps each of those names to its table and item — for example those two are Table 6 items 1 and 7. The mapping is our reading of the names against the Act; AUSTRAC does not publish one.
Where can I read the current text of section 6?
On the Federal Register of Legislation, in the current compilation of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 — Compilation No. 62 (C2026C00274) as at 12 September 2026. Section 6 runs from printed page 49 to 78.

References

Every source behind this page

In the order you should trust them. The instruments bind; the guidance explains and does not.

How this page was checked

The six-table structure of section 6, the item counts, and the single item of Table 4 were read from the register PDF of Compilation No. 62 (C2026C00274). Tables 2, 5 and 6 are the same verbatim text the Table 6 page carries, compared word for word against the compiled Act. The AUSTRAC Online names were copied from AUSTRAC’s own pages on 12 September 2026; the mapping of each name to an item is ours and is labelled as such.

Published 12 September 2026 · last checked against the Register 12 September 2026

Whether your business is a reporting entity depends on the designated services you provide — not on having an ABN or being based in Australia. Check AUSTRAC’s sector guidance, and seek professional advice for your situation.

Tranche 2: who is covered, and what to do nowCustomer due diligence: what follows once you are inThe terms, defined
Knowing which table you are in is the easy part

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This content is general information only. It is not legal, financial or compliance advice. Organisations should check AUSTRAC guidance, legislation, their own AML/CTF Program and professional advice where needed.