Australia moved to a comprehensive credit reporting (CCR) system in 2018, significantly expanding the data that appears on your credit file. Before CCR, credit files mainly recorded negative events — defaults, bankruptcies, and enquiries. Under CCR, positive repayment behaviour also appears, meaning a strong repayment history actively improves your score rather than just the absence of negatives. Understanding what is now on your file, and what lenders actually assess, matters for anyone applying for a mortgage, car loan, credit card, or rental property.
Australia has three credit reporting bodies: Equifax (formerly Veda), Experian, and Illion (formerly Dun & Bradstreet). Each maintains a separate credit file for you, and each may have different information depending on which bureau your lenders report to. Your score at each bureau may differ because the score models and the data supplied to each bureau by lenders are not identical. When a lender assesses your application, they typically check one bureau — but which one varies by lender. You can check your file at all three.
Under CCR, your credit file contains:
Credit enquiries: Every time you apply for credit — a mortgage, car loan, credit card, personal loan, or even some rental applications — a hard enquiry is recorded. Multiple enquiries in a short period (shopping for credit) appear on your file and can reduce your score, as they signal potential financial stress or risk to lenders.
Repayment history: For credit accounts opened after July 2018, your repayment record is reported monthly — whether you paid on time, 14+ days late, 30+ days late, etc. Two years of on-time payments build positive history. Consistent late payments are a significant negative.
Credit accounts and limits: The type, age, and credit limit of each account. A long credit history with well-managed accounts is positive. A high number of accounts with high credit limits can raise lender concern about your potential debt exposure.
Defaults: Any account where a debt of $150 or more remained unpaid for 60+ days and a notice was sent. Defaults remain on your file for 5 years from the date listed regardless of whether you pay the debt.
Serious credit infringements: Debts where the creditor cannot locate you. These remain for 7 years.
Bankruptcies and court judgements: Remain for either 5 years from the date of the order or 2 years from discharge, whichever is later.
Each bureau has its own scale. Equifax uses 0–1,200; Experian uses 0–1,000; Illion uses 0–1,000. The percentile interpretation matters more than the raw number:
| Equifax score | Category | Approximate impact on applications |
|---|---|---|
| 833–1,200 | Excellent | Strongest approval odds, most competitive rates |
| 726–832 | Very good | High approval likelihood, near-best rates |
| 622–725 | Good | Approved with standard rates |
| 510–621 | Average | Approved but may face higher rates or conditions |
| 0–509 | Below average | May be declined or require specialist lender |
Your credit score is one input, not the whole picture. Lenders conduct their own internal credit assessment that incorporates: your income and employment stability, your existing debt obligations (debt-to-income ratio), the loan-to-value ratio (for secured lending), your savings history (serviceability assessment), and the specific bureau score. A high credit score does not guarantee approval if your income is insufficient for the loan size requested, and a moderate score does not automatically result in a decline if the rest of your financial position is strong.
For mortgage applications in particular, the score is less decisive than many people believe. The National Consumer Credit Protection Act requires lenders to assess whether a loan is "not unsuitable" for you — which involves a comprehensive look at your finances. A 750+ score helps but a 620 score with stable income, low debt, and a strong savings record will often be approved where a 780 score with borderline serviceability might not be.
All three bureaus are required to provide free access to your credit report under the Privacy Act. You can get a free report once every 3 months from each bureau, and a free copy within 90 days of being declined credit. The portals are: Equifax at equifax.com.au, Experian at experian.com.au, and Illion at getcreditscore.com.au. Several third-party services (Credit Savvy, CreditSimple, Finder) also provide free ongoing score access, though they may only show one bureau's score.
Pay every credit obligation on time, every month — this is the dominant factor under CCR. Set up direct debits for minimum repayments to eliminate the risk of forgetting. Reduce credit card balances relative to limits: high credit utilisation (balance consistently close to the limit) is a negative signal, even if you pay the full balance monthly. Avoid applying for multiple credit products in a short window — space applications at least 3–6 months apart where possible. If you have a default, the most effective action is to pay it (a paid default is still on your file but is significantly less negative than an unpaid one), and then wait for the 5-year removal timeline to run. There is no shortcut to removing a legitimate default — services that claim to clean your credit report are either describing the standard dispute process for genuine errors, or misleading you.
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