Under the provisions of the Australian Consumer Law, a 'standard form contract' is one that has been prepared in advance by the party who has most of the bargaining power, without giving the weaker party an opportunity to negotiate the terms, and which takes no account of the circumstances of the particular transaction. The contract is presented to the weaker party on a 'take it or leave it' basis.
The concept of standard form contracts is important because it is in such contracts that specified unfair terms are prohibited by the Australian Consumer Law.