Credit Repair Lawyers Australia 2026

Why credit repair needs a law firm, not a credit repair company

Credit repair in Australia is a legal process. It works because credit providers and credit reporting bodies are bound by specific statutory obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code 2014, and the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (Cth). When those obligations aren’t met, the listing on your credit file is non-compliant and must be removed.

That’s the actual mechanism. It isn’t negotiation. It isn’t writing strongly-worded letters. It isn’t a “credit repair script” that magically gets a default deleted. It’s identifying the specific procedural breach that occurred when the listing was placed, and putting the credit provider on notice that they have to fix it.

The problem most consumers run into is that the credit repair industry in Australia has two tiers. The first tier is non-lawyer credit repair companies, which operate under Australian Credit Licences issued by ASIC and employ case managers who do paperwork. The second tier is specialist credit repair law firms, of which MyCRA Lawyers is the only one in Australia that does this and nothing else. The case managers can do the easy ones. The hard matters need lawyers, because the hard matters end up in ombudsman complaints, AFCA determinations, OAIC referrals or court.

ASIC has been publicly warning consumers about untrained operators in the credit repair industry since at least 2016, when it released REP 465 (“Paying to get out of debt or clean your credit”, Australian Securities & Investments Commission, January 2016), citing a lack of understanding of the relevant laws among many operators. That report is still the cleanest summary of what consumers should look for, and what they should walk away from.

Who MyCRA Lawyers is

MyCRA Lawyers is the trading name of the legal practice operated by Legal Practice Holdings Group Pty Ltd (ABN 12 615 900 788), an incorporated legal practice registered with the Queensland Law Society. The brand was founded by Graham Doessel as MyCRA Pty Ltd on 26 November 2009 and became MyCRA Lawyers on 4 November 2013 when the legal practice structure was put in place. We are the only law firm in Australia whose exclusive practice area is the removal of non-compliant credit reporting listings under the Privacy Act framework. We act for clients across every state and territory, with most matters running by phone and online rather than in person.

The firm operates as an incorporated legal practice under the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld), regulated by the Queensland Law Society and answerable to the Legal Services Commission of Queensland. Our Legal Practice Director is Ryan Alexander Vanderaa, an admitted solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland, whose details are verifiable on the QLS register of solicitors. Our professional indemnity insurance is held with Lexon Insurance, the approved insurer for Queensland legal practices under the Queensland Lawyers Mutual scheme. We are not a credit repair company that has retained a lawyer. We are a law firm that does credit repair work.

Corporate and licensing structure

Our two-entity structure exists because Australian credit repair work spans two regulatory regimes that have to be addressed separately:

• Legal Practice Holdings Group Pty Ltd (ABN 12 615 900 788) is the incorporated legal practice. It holds Australian Credit Representative authority (ACR 535627) and is a member of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA member 83703). LPHG operates the MyCRA Lawyers brand.
• East Coast Finance Pty Ltd holds the parent Australian Credit Licence (ACL 564856) issued by ASIC, and is also an AFCA member (AFCA member 98431). LPHG operates as an authorised credit representative under this licence.

That distinction is doing real work. Credit repair companies in Australia typically operate under an ACL alone. We operate under both an ACL representative authority and a legal practice certificate. The two regulatory frameworks have different scopes, different obligations and different remedies available when the regulated entity falls short. When you instruct a law firm, you also get the benefit of legal professional privilege over communications about your matter, which a non-legal credit repair company cannot offer.

Independent audit

MyCRA Lawyers commissioned an independent audit of our credit file removal outcomes, which verified a success rate of 91.6 per cent across the audited sample. We are the only credit repair law firm in Australia to have submitted to and published the results of an independent third-party audit of this kind. The audit certificate is published at our audit certificate page.

Our office is at Suite 12, Level 1, 104 Gympie Road, Strathpine QLD 4500. Our national line is 1300 667 218.

The Australian credit reporting framework

Credit reporting in Australia is governed by an interlocking set of statutes, codes and regulators. Understanding which one applies to your matter is half of credit repair. The reason most DIY attempts fail is that the consumer raises the wrong objection under the wrong instrument and gets a brush-off they cannot escalate.

Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), Part IIIA

Part IIIA of the Privacy Act 1988 is the primary statutory framework for credit reporting in Australia. It sets out what information credit providers and credit reporting bodies are allowed to collect, how long it can be held, and what disclosures and notices must be given to the consumer before a default or related listing can be reported. Breaches of Part IIIA are enforceable by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code 2014 (CR Code)

The Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code 2014 (CR Code) is the binding industry code that sits underneath Part IIIA. The CR Code is administered by the OAIC and is the document that puts operational meat on the bones of the statute. The mandatory notice periods, the rules about what constitutes a default, and the obligations on credit reporting bodies (Equifax, Illion and Experian) to investigate and correct listings, all sit in the CR Code.

National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (Cth)

The National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (NCCPA) governs the conduct of credit providers themselves. Relevant sections in credit repair work include s 47 (general conduct requirements), s 160 (credit guide requirements), and the licensing obligations under Part 2-1. Credit providers acting in breach of the NCCPA expose themselves to consequences that go beyond the credit reporting question.

National Credit Code (NCC)

The National Credit Code is Schedule 1 to the NCCPA. It governs the underlying credit contracts themselves. Sections that come up repeatedly in our case work include s 20 (form of credit contracts), s 36 (statement of amount owing), s 88 (notice required before enforcement) and s 185 (copy of contract on request). A defective s 88 default notice is one of the most common procedural breaches we identify.

Australian Consumer Law

Where misleading or deceptive conduct, or unconscionable conduct, is involved in the listing of a default, the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010) gives an additional avenue for relief, particularly through ACCC and state fair trading regulators.

The regulators

• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) — enforces Part IIIA of the Privacy Act and the CR Code. Where a credit reporting body or credit provider refuses to correct a non-compliant listing, this is the relevant federal regulator.
• Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) — external dispute resolution body for financial services complaints. AFCA can make binding determinations against credit providers up to specified financial limits.
• Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) — licenses credit providers under the NCCPA and regulates their conduct. ASIC complaints sit alongside the OAIC pathway in serious matters.
• State Civil and Administrative Tribunals — including QCAT, VCAT, NCAT and equivalents, which handle certain consumer matters and lower-value debt disputes.

The three credit reporting bodies operating in Australia are Equifax, Illion and Experian. A default may be listed on one, two, or all three, and removal at one does not automatically propagate to the others. Specialist credit repair work generally addresses all three in parallel. Note that Experian is currently in the process of absorbing Illion, following its purchase of the Illion credit reporting business, which is expected to consolidate the Australian market over time.

What we can remove from your credit file

The following categories of credit file listing are within scope of MyCRA Lawyers’ practice. In each case, removal depends on identifying a specific compliance failure in how the listing was placed. We do not promise removal of every listing. We do offer an initial assessment to tell you whether a listing is realistically removable before you commit. Our initial Zoom appointment is not free, but it is capped at $139 and is credited towards any credit repair work that stems from the appointment.

Defaults

A default is a notation that a payment of $150 or more is at least 60 days overdue. Before a credit provider can list a default, the CR Code requires specific written notices including a s 6Q notice (intention to disclose) and, where the credit is consumer credit governed by the National Credit Code, a s 88 NCC notice. Where any of these notices are missing, defective, or not properly served, the default has been listed in breach of the CR Code and must be removed.

Court judgments

Court judgments are recorded on credit files from publicly available court records. Removal where the underlying matter has been resolved or where the judgment is contested generally requires a court application to set aside or vacate the judgment, followed by an instruction to credit reporting bodies to update the record. This is core law firm work and is one of the principal reasons consumers should not attempt judgment removal through a non-legal credit repair company.

Clearouts and serious credit infringements

A serious credit infringement (SCI), also known as a clearout, arises where a credit provider believes on reasonable grounds that a consumer has acted fraudulently, or has shown a clear intention to no longer comply with their credit obligations, and the provider has been unable to make contact with the consumer for a period of at least six months despite taking reasonable steps to do so. A serious credit infringement remains on a credit file for seven years, longer than an ordinary default. The Privacy Act and the CR Code impose specific evidentiary requirements on the credit provider before a serious credit infringement can be listed. Where those requirements are not met, the listing is removable.

Credit enquiries

An enquiry is recorded every time you apply for credit. Excessive enquiries lower your credit score and can flag you to lenders as a credit-shopping risk. Some enquiries are listed in breach of the consumer’s authorisation, particularly where a broker or finance company has lodged applications without explicit consent, or without meeting the minimum legislative requirements. Unauthorised enquiries can be removed.

Repayment History Information (RHI)

Under Comprehensive Credit Reporting, licensed credit providers report month-by-month repayment status for consumer credit accounts. Only credit providers that hold an Australian Credit Licence (unless specifically exempt) report repayment history, which is why telco and energy providers do not report RHI. Inaccurate RHI is a common issue where account holders have been late through no fault of their own (mail redirection failures, bank processing errors, direct debit failures by the credit provider). Inaccurate RHI is correctable under the CR Code, and the correction obligation falls on the credit provider once notified.

Comprehensive Credit Reporting (CCR) errors

The introduction of mandatory CCR has expanded the categories of information reported and created new categories of error. Account status flags, hardship indicator flags, and joint account treatment are all areas where errors regularly appear and where the consumer’s individual circumstances may not have been correctly captured.

Bankruptcies and Part IX/X arrangements

While bankruptcies and personal insolvency arrangements are not generally removable while the period prescribed by the Bankruptcy Act is current, errors in the recording of these matters on credit files do occur and can be corrected. We assess these matters case by case.

How default removal actually works

The myth that credit repair is impossible was put about by the credit reporting industry itself in the years after the CR Code came into force. The truth is that the CR Code expressly contemplates a correction and removal process. Section 20 of the CR Code requires credit reporting bodies to investigate notified errors. Section 20T provides the mechanism for consumers to challenge listings. The relevant question is never whether removal is possible. It is whether your specific listing is removable, and the answer turns on whether the credit provider followed the procedural requirements when they listed it.

The work, simplified, looks like this:

1. Obtain the credit file. We can pull your file from all three credit reporting bodies (Equifax, Illion, Experian) so we are working from the same record the lenders see.
2. Audit the listing. We examine each adverse listing against the procedural requirements that applied when it was placed. This means cross-referencing the dates on the file with the CR Code notice periods, the NCC notice obligations, and the credit provider’s licensing status at the relevant time.
3. Identify the breach. Common breaches we find include defective s 88 NCC notices, missing s 6Q (intention to disclose) notices, listing inside the prescribed grace period, listing of an amount different from the contracted amount, listing without a valid contract under s 20 NCC, and listing by an entity that did not hold the required credit licence.
4. Issue notice to the credit provider. We notify the credit provider of the breach and require correction within the timeframes the CR Code allows. Most credit providers correct at this stage because the cost of an OAIC referral exceeds the cost of removal.
5. Escalate where required. Where the credit provider refuses, we lodge complaints through the appropriate channel: AFCA for financial services credit providers, OAIC for privacy breaches, ASIC for licensing and conduct issues, and state tribunals or courts where the matter requires a tribunal or judicial determination.
6. Confirm removal. Once removal is effected at the credit provider end, we can verify the listing has been removed from all three credit reporting bodies. Removal at one bureau does not propagate automatically.

The reason this process is run by lawyers rather than case managers is that step three is a legal question, and steps five and six are exercise of specific statutory and regulatory rights with consequences if mishandled. It is also unlawful in Australia for a person who does not hold a current legal practising certificate to give legal advice, and the courts have treated credit repair work of this kind as legal work that is reserved for lawyers. In Van der Feltz v Legal Practice Board [2017] WASC 2, for example, a person who advertised help preparing court documents while stating he was “not a lawyer” was found to be engaging in legal practice and fined. We explain how this applies to credit repair in “I am not a lawyer and I do not give legal advice”, said the ad; oh yes you do, said the court and why credit repair work is, by its nature, legal work.

MyCRA Lawyers vs credit repair companies vs DIY: the honest comparison

Most consumers facing a credit problem have three realistic options. Each has trade-offs. The right choice depends on the complexity of your matter, the cost of delay, and how much you value certainty.

Doing it yourself

You have a statutory right to request investigation of any listing on your credit file under s 20T of the CR Code. The credit reporting body has 30 days to investigate and respond. For a simple matter, on a single listing, against a cooperative credit provider, DIY can work.

The risks are that consumers raising procedural arguments they don’t understand often raise them in a way that the credit provider can easily rebut. Once you have raised a ground and had it formally rejected, raising it again later through a lawyer is materially harder. The cheapest path can become the most expensive path if you burn your strongest arguments by stating them poorly.

Non-lawyer credit repair companies

Several Australian companies operate under ASIC Australian Credit Licences offering credit repair on a no-win-no-fee model. The work is typically done by case managers under the supervision of a smaller number of qualified staff. For simple matters where the breach is obvious and the credit provider is cooperative, these companies can be effective.

Where the matter is contested, where it involves a court judgment, where it requires escalation to OAIC or court, or where legal professional privilege would be useful, the case manager model has structural limits. Some credit repair companies will manage these matters internally to a point and then drop them. Others will pass them on. A specialist law firm runs them from start to finish under the one engagement.

MyCRA Lawyers

Specialist credit repair law firm. Australian-only specialist of this kind. Fixed-fee model with no surprise extras. Our founder has sixteen years of practice exclusively in this area. Capable of running a matter from credit file audit through OAIC complaint to court if required, without handing off. Suitable for any complexity of matter. Higher upfront fee than a low-end credit repair company but no additional fees if the matter becomes complicated, which is the scenario where credit repair companies’ fee structures become the consumer’s problem.

Honest summary: if you have one minor default, no court matters, no escalation history, and the credit provider is a smaller operator with a cooperative compliance team, a credit repair company may be enough. If you have anything more complicated than that, or if the cost of getting it wrong is meaningful (a home purchase falling through, a business finance application timing out), or a difficult debt collector, engage a law firm and engage one whose entire practice is this.

The fixed fee model and what it protects you from

MyCRA Lawyers operates a fixed-fee engagement model. The fee is agreed at the start of the matter and does not change regardless of how long the matter takes to resolve. This is deliberate, because the credit repair industry has a long history of bill shock and creeping scope.

The fixed-fee structure means our incentive is to resolve your matter as fast as possible. If we remove your default in seven days, we have done well. If the matter takes six months because the credit provider refuses to cooperate and we end up at AFCA or OAIC, you pay the same fixed fee within scope. We absorb the cost of complexity, not you.

This sits opposite the “no-win-no-fee” model commonly offered by non-lawyer credit repair companies, where a success fee is charged on each listing removed. The success fee model sounds consumer-friendly but creates two issues. First, it incentivises the operator to claim partial wins on matters that haven’t really been resolved. Second, where the fee structure is unclear, the total cost on a multi-listing matter can be significantly higher than a fixed-fee engagement.

We provide a written quote at the conclusion of the initial assessment, before you commit to anything. That quote is the price.

Our process, step by step

1. Initial Suitability Assessment. Book a Zoom appointment with our team. We can request your credit files on your behalf, or you can supply them. We tell you honestly whether the listings on your file are realistically removable.
2. Written quote. You receive a written engagement letter with a fixed fee, scope, and expected timeframes. No proceeding without your sign-off.
3. Engagement and audit. Once engaged, we audit each listing against the procedural requirements that applied when it was placed.
4. Notices and removal. We issue compliance notices to the credit providers. The majority of removable listings are resolved at this stage.
5. Escalation if required. Contested matters are escalated to AFCA, OAIC, ASIC or court as appropriate, within scope. Your client agreement sets out what is included at no extra charge; some matters, for example certain OAIC or AFCA processes or court hearings, may fall outside scope and require additional legal fees.
6. Verification and close. Once removed, we can verify the listings have been removed across all three credit reporting bodies and can provide you with clean credit files as confirmation; providing clean credit files is outside scope and is at a small additional fee.

Results and what the numbers actually mean

MyCRA Lawyers publishes the following results, drawn from our internal case management data across more than sixteen years of practice. We publish these with the context they need, because credit repair industry headline numbers without context are usually misleading.

• 91.6% success rate on consumer default listings that pass our initial assessment. This is the independently audited removal rate on the consumer defaults we have accepted, not a rate across all enquiries or every listing type. The initial assessment filters out matters where removal is not realistic, and we tell people honestly at the assessment stage if their matter is unlikely to succeed.
• 29.4% of removals are completed within 7 days of our initial contact with the credit provider. A meaningful number of these are same-day removals where the procedural breach is so clear-cut that the credit provider corrects immediately on notification.
• Most matters resolve within 30 days. Beyond that, escalation to AFCA or OAIC can extend timelines to 60 to 120 days or more. Because of the fixed-fee model, this does not cost you more.
• 230+ Google reviews from past clients at a 4.8-star average, viewable on our public listing.

Past results are not a guarantee of future outcomes on your specific matter. Every credit file is different. The initial assessment is where we tell you, honestly, what is likely in your case.

About Graham Doessel

Graham Doessel is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the MyCRA Lawyers brand and the founder of Armstrong Doessel Stevenson Lawyers (a generalist law firm with strong family law, wills and estates practices). Both firms operate under Legal Practice Holdings Group Pty Ltd, where Graham serves as Non-Legal Director under the structure permitted by the Queensland Legal Profession Act 2007 for incorporated legal practices.

Practice timeline

• 26 November 2009: Founded MyCRA Pty Ltd as a credit repair business after his own experience as a finance broker watching good clients fail to obtain finance because of credit listings that did not meet the legal requirements for being on their files.
• 4 July 2013: Founded Armstrong Doessel Stevenson Lawyers, a generalist law practice.
• 4 November 2013: MyCRA Pty Ltd became MyCRA Lawyers when the incorporated legal practice structure was put in place, allowing the credit repair work to be conducted as legal practice.

Industry involvement

Graham is a past Queensland State President of the Finance Brokers Association of Australia (FBAA). He founded the Credit Repair Industry Association of Australasia (CRIAA) in an attempt to establish a self-regulatory body and ethical code for the Australian credit repair industry. The body did not endure because compliance with the proposed standards proved unworkable for most non-legal operators in the industry at the time. The episode informed the decision to move MyCRA into an incorporated legal practice structure in 2013, where conduct could be regulated by the Queensland Law Society rather than relying on industry self-regulation.

Submissions and policy work

Graham, on behalf of MyCRA Lawyers, has made formal submissions to:

• The PricewaterhouseCoopers Three Year Review of the Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code 2014
• The Senate Economics References Committee Inquiry into Credit and Hardship

Media commentary

Graham is a regular commentator on Australian credit reporting law and consumer credit issues, with media appearances including:

• Television: Today Tonight Brisbane (Seven Network)
• Radio: ABC Mackay, ABC NSW, 4BC Brisbane Afternoons
• National press: Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, Brisbane Times, News Ltd / news.com.au
• Industry press: The Adviser, Broker News, Smart Company, Australian Banking + Finance, Investigate Magazine
• International: TVNZ (New Zealand)

MyCRA was a finalist in the Smart Company Start Up Smart Awards in both 2012 and 2013. A complete media archive is published at our media centre.

Role clarification

Graham is not an admitted lawyer. The legal work at MyCRA Lawyers is performed by admitted solicitors led by Legal Practice Director Ryan Vanderaa, under the structure permitted by Queensland incorporated legal practice rules. Graham’s role as Founder, CEO and Non-Legal Director covers business strategy, marketing, technology, regulatory engagement and ownership. The Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld) expressly contemplates this structure for incorporated legal practices.

Frequently asked questions

Contact MyCRA Lawyers

For an initial assessment of your credit file, contact us:

• National line: 1300 667 218
• Enquiries: Send us a message via our contact form
• Office: Suite 12, Level 1, 104 Gympie Road, Strathpine QLD 4500
• Postal: PO Box 7228, Brendale QLD 4500

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. This page is general information only and does not constitute legal advice. For advice specific to your matter, book an initial assessment.