China
China’s Ministry of Finance on 12 November explained how two revised guides for preparing government financial reports will operate. The guides cover departmental financial reports and consolidated government financial reports. Published on 4 November, they take effect on 1 January 2027 and replace the corresponding 2023 versions.
The departmental guide adds schedules for long-term payables associated with local-government special-purpose bonds and for non-current liabilities due within one year. It also expands disclosures for long-term payables, other revenue and other expenses, so that reports identify special-purpose bond funds for which project units carry principal and interest repayment obligations. Further changes add a long-term equity investment schedule, align classifications for public infrastructure and social housing with public-asset reporting, and incorporate the accounting system for private non-profit organisations that began operating in 2026.
The consolidated guide requires duplicate recognition of the same local-government special-purpose bond liability to be eliminated when a government’s consolidated report combines the general public budget accounts with those of an administrative or public-service project unit that carries the repayment obligation. It also expands reporting of receivables, payables and intergovernmental transfer revenue and expenses between central and local government. The ministry said each department and unit remains responsible for the truthfulness, accuracy, completeness and compliance of its report, and that the integrated budget-management system will be updated for the new reporting requirements.
Australia
On 12 November, the Australian Communications and Media Authority issued initial guidance on how online content service providers can use the “triple lock” exception to the wagering-advertising prohibition that begins on 1 January 2027. As a starting rule, online content services will be prohibited from providing wagering advertising. A provider can rely on the exception only if it takes reasonable steps to prevent restricted users from receiving the advertising, ensures recipients use a registered and logged-in account, and lets registered users opt out.
Restricted users include people under 18, people who have not confirmed their age, people who are not logged in to a registered account, and people who have opted out through either a provider’s mechanism or the future Wagering Advertising Opt-Out Register. Providers intending to rely on the exception must have their own opt-out system operating by 1 January 2027. Once the register begins, they will also have to check at least every 14 days whether intended recipients are registered, unless subsequent rules prescribe another period.
The guidance treats records of age assurance, account controls, advertising delivery and opt-out mechanisms as part of a provider’s risk assessment. ACMA will handle complaints, investigations and enforcement, while the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner will oversee Privacy Act obligations for personal information. The document is not legal advice; ACMA said it will update the guidance in response to complaints, investigations and technological change, and will publish a list of services implementing the triple lock.
United States
The US Federal Trade Commission and 17 states filed proposed settlement papers in the Eastern District of Virginia on 12 November to resolve allegations of persistent differences between advertised and checkout prices at Family Dollar. The US$63 million settlement allocates US$40 million to a consumer redress fund, US$20 million to future customer discounts and more than US$3 million to the participating states.
The regulators alleged that prices displayed on store shelves, tags, advertisements, the company’s website and its mobile application differed from prices charged at the register, and that the company failed to correct the problem after inspections, consumer complaints and earlier enforcement. The proposed order prohibits misrepresenting prices, requires a pricing-accuracy program and employee training, and subjects the program to independent assessment and annual certification. Eligible consumers are to be told about compensation through prominent notices in stores and on digital platforms.
The proposed order will acquire legal force only if it is approved and signed by a federal judge. Family Dollar agreed to settle without admitting or denying wrongdoing. The FTC said state and local regulators had cited thousands of pricing violations during the previous five years and imposed more than US$3 million in fines; those statements form part of the regulators’ allegations, and the court has not issued a merits ruling on them.
Editorial framework: This briefing uses Sustenesis as an editorial framework for selecting facts, organising relationships and structuring information, with attention to differences and constraints in rules, responsibilities, resources, risks and social relations. Sustenesis functions here as a method of organisation rather than a position or commentary; the body remains limited to verifiable facts.
Sources
Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China, “财政部国库司有关负责人就实施新的《政府部门财务报告编制操作指南》和《政府综合财务报告编制操作指南》答记者问”, https://gks.mof.gov.cn/guizhangzhidu/202611/t20261104_4004088.htm
Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China, “关于实施《政府部门财务报告编制操作指南》的通知”, https://gks.mof.gov.cn/guizhangzhidu/202611/t20261104_4004092.htm
Ministry of Finance of the People’s Republic of China, “关于实施《政府综合财务报告编制操作指南》的通知”, https://gks.mof.gov.cn/guizhangzhidu/202611/t20261104_4004093.htm
Australian Communications and Media Authority, “ACMA publishes initial industry guidance on the triple lock exception for online content services”, https://www.acma.gov.au/articles/2026-11/acma-publishes-initial-industry-guidance-triple-lock-exception-online-content-services
Australian Communications and Media Authority, “Initial ACMA Triple Lock Exception Guidance”, https://www.acma.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-11/Initial%20ACMA%20Triple%20Lock%20Exception%20Guidance_Nov%202026.pdf
Federal Register of Legislation, “Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Act 2026”, https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026A00072/asmade/2026-08-26/text/original/epub/OEBPS/document_1/document_1.html
US Federal Trade Commission, “FTC and 17 States Secure $63 Million Settlement with Family Dollar Stores in Price Transparency Win for Consumers”, https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/11/ftc-17-states-secure-63-million-settlement-family-dollar-stores-price-transparency-win-consumers
US Federal Trade Commission, “Family Dollar Stores LLC, FTC v. (Family Dollar Shelf Pricing)”, https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/cases-proceedings/x270003-family-dollar-stores-llc-ftc-v-family-dollar-shelf-pricing
Reuters, “Family Dollar reaches $63 million settlement with US FTC, states over customer overcharges”, https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/family-dollar-reaches-63-million-settlement-with-us-ftc-states-over-customer-2026-11-12/
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