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Freedom251 › Blog › Australia

Activist Broker Joseph Dauod Renews Campaign Against Australia’s Card Surcharge Ban

By Freedom251 Team · · 3 min read

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Mortgage broker and tax critic Joseph Dauod is campaigning against Australia’s planned end to card surcharges, according to a 12 October 2026 report in The West Australian. Its available report excerpt says he has used billboards around Canberra Airport and television advertising. The campaign’s exact claims, organizers and funding are not established by that excerpt, so they cannot yet be assessed in detail.

What is known about the campaign

The available West Australian report excerpt attributes the campaign to Dauod, describing him as a mortgage broker and tax critic. It reports billboard and television advertising opposing the surcharge changes. The full report was not available, and no direct statement from Dauod was verified. That means the campaign’s precise argument, evidence and intended remedies remain unclear.

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The report excerpt also attributes a $1.6 billion annual consumer-savings estimate to the Reserve Bank of Australia. The original RBA publication was not available for confirmation, so the figure should not be treated here as independently verified.

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What changes on 1 October 2026

Australian payment-provider guidance says card payment surcharges end on 1 October 2026. The guidance describes the change as applying to eftpos and Mastercard and Visa payments, including debit, prepaid and credit cards. The precise legal scope and any exceptions should be checked against the Reserve Bank of Australia’s instrument; the provider summaries alone do not establish those details.

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This is an Australian policy issue. Surcharge rules in the United States are geographically distinct and do not establish what Australian businesses may charge.

How merchants can distinguish a surcharge from another fee

Advanced Payment Solutions distinguishes a card surcharge, which is triggered by the customer’s payment method, from a day-based service fee that applies regardless of how a customer pays. Its guidance says such a general fee should be disclosed clearly before the transaction and should not be used as a substitute for a card surcharge. This is the provider’s explanation, not individualized legal advice.

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Funraisin similarly distinguishes mandatory card surcharges from optional donor contributions: an optional contribution is voluntary and unrelated to the payment method. The distinction is useful, but it does not mean every fee or checkout contribution is automatically permitted; how a charge operates and is presented matters.

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Checkout charge What triggers it What the cited guidance says
Card surcharge The customer pays by card Provider guidance says these surcharges end on 1 October 2026; confirm precise scope against the RBA instrument.
Day-based service fee The day or service, regardless of payment method Advanced Payment Solutions says it should be clearly disclosed before payment and cannot be used as a substitute for a card surcharge.
Optional donor contribution The donor voluntarily chooses to contribute Funraisin describes this as separate from a mandatory fee linked to payment method.

What merchants should check before the change

Because the change affects payment configuration as well as checkout wording, merchants should review their actual payment flow rather than rely only on the label attached to a fee. Advanced Payment Solutions flags terminal configuration as relevant; the available guidance does not specify a universal setup process or a single terminal adjustment for every provider.

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What remains unclear about Dauod’s case

The accessible reporting does not establish the campaign’s exact wording, who organized or funded it, or what evidence it offers. Without those details, it is possible to report that a campaign is under way, but not to judge whether its claims about the policy are accurate or to present its proposed alternative. Those questions require the full report and primary policy material.

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Australiacard surchargesconsumer policyPaymentssmall business

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