Australians lodged more than 3,400 complaints with Ad Standards in the first six months of 2026, a 10% lift on the same period last year, with fashion labels among the brands pulled up over health and safety breaches.
Health and safety was the single biggest driver of concern, with 72 ads referred to the Community Panel under that provision of the AANA Code of Ethics. Across the half, 168 ads were referred for assessment and 56 were found in breach of one or more advertising rules. A further 25 were modified or removed by the advertiser as soon as a complaint landed.
Fashion has featured prominently in that mix. R.M. Williams removed an Instagram post earlier this year after the panel found its depiction of three riders on a quad bike, none wearing helmets and with no rollover bar fitted, fell short of community expectations on health and safety.
The bootmaker argued its upmarket positioning and rural setting were mitigating factors, though the panel found the depiction problematic regardless of context.
Venroy was also found in breach of the same section over an Instagram post from its European Summer 26 campaign, which showed a model in a black singlet walking towards camera with a cigarette in his mouth and a pack in his hand. The panel found the image made smoking look fashionable and noted cigarettes carry no relevance to clothing. Venroy did not respond to the complaint.
Not every referral goes against the advertiser.
PVH Brands Australia successfully defended a Calvin Klein Spring 2026 shopfront image at Melbourne Central, with a complainant arguing the placement in a high-traffic retail environment exceeded community standards for public decency. PVH, which manages Calvin Klein locally alongside Tommy Hilfiger and Van Heusen, argued the image was a stylised fashion promotion consistent with the brand's established advertising approach.
The panel agreed, finding no breach of section 2.4 and noting the styling was designed to direct attention to the product.
Ad Standards Executive Director Greg Wallace said the volumes reflect how closely Australians are watching, with recent research finding 52% had seen advertising they found offensive or inappropriate in the past three months.
"People expect advertising to be responsible, respectful and consistent with community standards, and they're prepared to speak up when they believe an ad falls short of those standards," he said.
The research also found 84% of Australians believe advertising content should align with community standards and values, while 69% avoid brands that use inappropriate or offensive advertising.
"For advertisers, that's an important reminder that community expectations matter. Responsible advertising is far better for business. Advertising that crosses the line can undermine trust, harm brand reputation and drive consumers away," Wallace said.
Wallace said the regulator's focus for the remainder of the year is keeping the self-regulatory system responsive as new technologies, platforms and marketing practices emerge.