The government is amending the Consumer Data Right rules to expand the service from one largely designed for consumers to encourage businesses to participate.

Treasury has released an exposure draft of amendments to the CDR rules dealing with CDR coverage of the telco sector and also some “operational enhancements” designed to promote use of the system by businesses.

“While take-up of the CDR to date has primarily by individual consumers, there is also scope for small businesses to benefit from CDR goods and services.”

The proposed amendments include a new type of consent called a business consumer disclosure consent, which will allow a business to consent to an accredited data recipient or representative disclosing the business’s CDR data to a specified person.

In such a case the provision of goods or services enabled by the consent will be to the business and not an individual consumer.

Businesses will issue “business consumer statements” to certify that their consent relates to goods and services for the business.

The maximum consent duration for businesses may be up to seven years, which is longer than a consumer consent.