AI consultancy · Australia
AI consultancy for Australian businesses
Only about one Australian business in eight was using AI in 2024 to 25, according to the ABS. Small firms were below that. So there's still an edge to be had by the business down the road that sets it up properly first. We're a UK consultancy that does that by video: AI on your own accounts, your team trained, and a policy that fits the Privacy Act.
From £395 (about A$760)
Based in the UK, working by video with businesses in Australia. Our early morning and evening calls overlap with the Australian working day.
Australian business and AI at a glance
| What | The figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Actively trading businesses, 30 June 2026 | 2,814,778, up 3.1% in a year | ABS counts of businesses, Aug 2026 |
| New businesses in 2025 to 26 | 460,461 | ABS |
| Fastest-growing industry | Health care and social assistance, up 6.7% | ABS |
| Businesses using AI, 2024 to 25 | About 12%; around 11% of small businesses | ABS, June 2026 |
| Small business Privacy Act threshold | Annual turnover of A$3 million or less, with exceptions | OAIC |
| New privacy policy rule on automated decisions | Applies from 10 December 2026 | Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 |
Checked October 2026.
Where the growth is, and why AI fits it
The Australian Bureau of Statistics counted 2.81 million actively trading businesses at 30 June 2026. The fastest growth was in health care and social assistance (6.7%), then transport, postal and warehousing (4.9%) and financial and insurance services (4.3%). All three run on paperwork.
Adoption is still low. The ABS found that about 12% of businesses used AI in 2024 to 25, with large firms at 35% and small and micro businesses at around 11% (ABS, June 2026). Much of that gap comes down to having someone to set it up.
The privacy rules, in plain terms
The Privacy Act 1988 and its Australian Privacy Principles cover businesses with annual turnover above A$3 million. Some smaller ones are covered whatever their size, including health service providers (OAIC).
In October 2024 the OAIC published guidance on using commercially available AI products. Its main points: as a matter of good practice, don't put personal information into publicly available AI tools; check what a product does with your data and where it's hosted; say in your privacy policy that you use AI; and make sure a public chatbot is clearly identified as AI. Where a cloud tool sends personal information overseas, APP 8 on cross-border disclosure comes into play.
From 10 December 2026, if a computer program makes or substantially shapes decisions that significantly affect people, your privacy policy has to say so. Our simple rule: a person decides anything that matters. This is general information rather than legal advice.
What we'd set up first
Health and disability
Notes and audit paperwork
Progress note drafts from voice notes, policy updates and staff guides, with privacy built in from the start.
AI for NDIS providersTransport and logistics
Customer queries and job paperwork
Draft replies to delivery questions, daily run summaries and quotes from job details, all checked before sending.
Finance and insurance
Staff assistants on your own rules
An internal assistant that answers from your product guides and procedures. People decide anything about credit or claims.
Custom AI assistantsTrades and services
Enquiries and quotes
An enquiry from your website gets a drafted reply for approval and goes into your job system automatically.
AI automationCall times, honestly
Sydney and Melbourne are 9 to 11 hours ahead of the UK depending on the time of year, and Perth is 7 or 8. So our early mornings are your late afternoons, and our evenings are your early mornings. A Kick-Start call at 7am UK time in November starts at 6pm in Sydney; one at 9pm UK time starts at 8am the next day. We agree times on the free 15-minute call.
Prices, with Australian dollar guides
Prices are in pounds sterling; Australian dollar figures are a guide at the October 2026 rate. Australian cards work in our online checkout, or ask for an invoice payable by international bank transfer within 7 days. We're not VAT registered. Whether GST applies to imported services depends on your own position, so check with your accountant.
Australian sector guides
Questions people ask
How many Australian businesses use AI?
The ABS found about 12% of businesses used AI in 2024 to 25, up from very low levels in 2021 to 22. Large businesses were at 35% and small businesses around 11%.
Can we put customer data into ChatGPT under the Privacy Act?
The OAIC recommends not entering personal information into publicly available AI tools. Business versions with training off, minimal detail and an updated privacy policy are the safer route.
Does a small business need an AI policy in Australia?
There's no law requiring one, but a page that says which tools staff may use and what data stays out of them is the simplest way to follow OAIC guidance. Ours costs £295 (about A$565).
Can a UK company deliver AI training in Australian hours?
Yes, within limits. Our early mornings and evenings overlap with your working day, and the workshop runs as two half-days so neither side has a very long session.
What does the December 2026 privacy change mean for AI?
If software makes or substantially shapes decisions that significantly affect people, your privacy policy will need to explain that. Keeping a person in charge of those decisions keeps things simple.
Who you'll work with
James Hayes Consulting is a UK AI consultancy led by Ross Hayes, who builds software for his own businesses and uses AI tools in them every day. We work with overseas businesses by video, set AI up on your real work, and tell you straight if something isn’t worth paying for.
Every project starts with a free 15-minute video call. Prices are in pounds sterling and agreed in writing before you commit; UK VAT isn’t added.
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