Starting 1 July 2026, every restaurant, café, and pub in Australia has to tell you whether the seafood on the menu comes from Australia, was imported, or is a mix of both. It is a simple labelling rule that finally makes the rules consistent across the country.

The system uses three letters: A for Australian, I for imported, and M for mixed origin. You will see these letters next to seafood items on menus, on takeaway boards, or on display cases. Think of it like a supermarket label — but this time for restaurants. According to the Australian Department of Industry, Science and Resources, this applies to all foodservice venues.

Packaged seafood sold in supermarkets has carried origin labels for years. Restaurants did not have to do this. Starting in July 2026, they do.

What This Means for Diners and Restaurants

Restaurants only need to write the letter — A, I, or M — next to each seafood dish. They do not have to name the exact country where the fish or prawns came from. Queensland's Office of Fair Trading confirms venues can display the label in any clear format that customers can read.

If a restaurant mixes imported and locally caught seafood in the same dish, it gets marked M. Restaurants will need to keep records to prove where their seafood actually comes from — that is the part that takes the most work behind the scenes.

Why This Matters

Most of the seafood eaten in Australia is imported — over 70 percent by weight. Much of that gets served in restaurants rather than sold in supermarkets. Before this rule, if you ordered fish at a restaurant, you had no way to know if it came from Australian waters or was farmed overseas. For local fishermen, especially in Western Australia, South Australia, and Queensland, this meant they could not charge more for Australian catch even though many customers would pay for it.

There was also an unfairness in the old system. If a supermarket sold imported prawns, it had to say so on the label. But if a restaurant served the same prawns, it did not have to tell you. The new rule fixes that contradiction.

Enforcement and What Happens Next

Each state and territory has its own consumer protection agency that will enforce the rule. Breaking it — such as labelling imported seafood as Australian — can result in fines under the Australian Consumer Law.

Now that all venues must show where their seafood comes from, Australian fishing businesses are likely to promote their local catch more. Some people have already said the rule does not go far enough because it does not make restaurants name the specific country for imported seafood, only that it is imported. Whether the government changes this in future will depend on how customers respond and how well the current system works.