On 12 May, the UK High Court refused permission for environmental group ClientEarth to continue its claim against the directors of Shell plc (Directors) for their alleged failure to manage climate...
‘No-poach’ or ‘non-compete’ clauses are used widely by Australian companies to prevent the leakage and misuse of employer’s information and loss of key client and supplier relationships. Companies...
Two large Australian retailers, The Reject Shop and Dusk are the first suppliers to be penalised under the world-first mandatory standards for button batteries (BBs), enforceable since June 2022.
On 5 May 2023, the Federal Government announced that it will legislate a new national Net Zero Authority (NNZA) to reduce national emissions and help industry, communities and workers manage the...
Partners Robert Johnston, Felicity Karageorge, Rena Solomonidis, Special Counsel Nicholas Briggs and Senior Associate Sara Gaertner have written the Australian chapter in The Law Reviews 7th...
On 26 April 2023, the Commonwealth Government released its proposed Mandatory Code of Conduct for the East Coast Gas Market (the Draft Code) for consultation.
Last year, we looked at how the commencement of civil litigation in Australia had been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic during FY20 and FY21. Around the country, there were nearly 20% less civil...
On 29 March 2023, the Commonwealth Nature Repair Market Bill 2023 (Bill) and related Nature Repair Market (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2023 were introduced to the House of Representatives by the...
Last week, Chair of the ACCC, Ms Gina Cass-Gottlieb announced the ACCC’s proposal for merger reform. The ACCC’s position is similar to the proposals introduced by former Chair Rod Sims in August...
On 24 March 2023, the Civil Procedure (Representative Proceedings) Act 2022 (WA Act) commenced. The WA Act introduces an updated and more cohesive mechanism for bringing class actions in WA.
The Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia in Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union v OS MCAP Pty Ltd recently confirmed that in order to comply with the National...
On 29 March 2023, the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Protecting Worker Entitlements) Bill 2023 (the Bill) was introduced into Parliament by the Federal Government. It seeks to promote job...
Following the agreement reached between the Federal Labor and Greens parties in relation to Labor’s emissions reduction plan, the Safeguard Mechanism (Crediting) Amendment Bill 2023 was passed by...
We are pleased to share with you the 7th edition of our report on recent trends in complex informal merger clearance decisions made by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has sent a strong message to companies and their officers that it is starting to enforce whistleblower protections in its first case...
Yesterday, the ACCC announced its compliance and enforcement priorities for 2023. In this article we discuss why the stakes are higher in 2023, the key areas of focus, what you need to know and...
On 16 February 2023, the Attorney-General’s Department released its much-anticipated Final Report (Report) on the Review of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act). The Report is the culmination...
The High Court of Australia is currently considering whether Victorian legislation imposing a fee on the use of zero or low-emission vehicles is contrary to s 90 of the Commonwealth Constitution in...
Following the implementation of the recommendations in the Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report (2020) to amend work health and safety (WHS) obligations, WHS regulators are now...
On 9 December 2022, the long-running prosecution of Grafil Pty Limited (Grafil) and its director Mr Mackenzie by the NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) came to an end with a unanimous...
On Monday 30 January 2023, the Commonwealth government unveiled its plans for the ‘Revive’ National Cultural Policy. As a part of the policy’s fifth pillar, ‘Engaging the Audience’, new...
On 8 February 2023, the High Court of Australia delivered judgment in Bryant v Badenoch Integrated Logging Pty Ltd [2023] HCA 2. JWS acted for PwC, the appellant liquidators of the Gunns group, and...
The Commissioner of Taxation (Commissioner) has been actively pursuing the application of the anti-avoidance provisions to trust structures and trust distributions. In the most recent decision, the...
A class action has been filed in the Federal Court in respect of the Medibank data breach, funded by large domestic litigation funder Omni Bridgeway.