Commercial Disputes AU
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October 09, 2026
High Court Tosses Ex-Neometals Exec's Whistleblower Claim
The High Court of Australia has refused the application of former Neometals executive Christian Reiche for special leave to appeal the dismissal of his whistleblower victimization claim against the company.
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October 09, 2026
Fortescue Sues Supplier Over Faulty Iron Bridge Pipeline
Mining giant Fortescue and its Iron Bridge joint venture partner Formosa Steel have sued pipe supplier Clover Pipelines and Turkish subcontractor Superlit Boru in the Supreme Court of Western Australia, alleging breach of contract and misleading and deceptive conduct.
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October 09, 2026
High Court Won't Revive CITIC Dispute Over Mine Expansion
The High Court has rejected Sino Iron's appeals against a state court ruling that refused to force billionaire Clive Palmer's Mineralogy to help expand an iron ore mining project worth more than $12 billion in Western Australia.
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October 09, 2026
Palmer's Nephew Held In Contempt Over Nickel Exam
The Federal Court of Australia has found Clive Mensink, the fugitive nephew of billionaire businessman Clive Palmer, in contempt of court for failing to attend a compulsory examination into Queensland Nickel's collapse.
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October 09, 2026
KPMG Review Finds Ethical Culture 'Say-Do Gap'
KPMG Australia's ethical culture has a 'say-do gap' between what management says and does that is compounded by governance weaknesses, according to external advisory firm Principia Advisory's assessment of its whistleblower framework and speak-up environment.
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October 09, 2026
High Court Won't Hear E-Commerce Confidential Info Case
The High Court of Australia on Thursday refused special leave to appeal a ruling that a former employee of online retailer New Aim Pty Ltd improperly shared confidential information, including the identity and contact details of 17 reliable suppliers, after leaving the company.
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October 09, 2026
AICD Wants Taskforce to Cut Regulations, Climate Reporting
An Australian Institute of Company Directors-commissioned report published Thursday calls for enforceable "shot clocks" on regulators to meet deadlines, adjusting climate-reporting requirements to exclude another 3000 businesses and extending automatic mutual recognition licenses to reach 168,000 workers.
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October 09, 2026
High Court Rejects Bid To Sue Plumber's Insurers Directly
The High Court of Australia has refused a special leave application appealing a Victorian Supreme Court case finding a claimant alleging defective plumbing cannot pursue the plumber's insurers directly without first establishing the plumber's liability, in a judgment published Thursday.
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October 09, 2026
Chief Justice Tells New Silks To Bring Juniors To Court
The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Chief Justice William Alstergren has urged newly elected Senior Counsel to "always appear" in court with a junior legal professional, citing the "desperate need" for junior barristers to attend in-person.
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October 08, 2026
Fed Court Applies Australian Privilege Rule To Japan Report
Australian legal professional privilege can protect documents produced in a jurisdiction where the doctrine is less clearly defined, the Federal Court has ruled, providing a "helpful point of clarity" for cross-border litigation, experts say.
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October 08, 2026
Gadens Adds Finance, Property Partners Amid Growth
Gadens has appointed HWL Ebsworth's financial services partner Mizu Ardra and Denton's property partner Natasha Murgatroyd to its Melbourne and Perth respectively, the law firm said in a statement on Friday.
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October 08, 2026
Baker McKenzie Taps White & Case Exec As Global COO
Baker McKenzie has appointed White & Case executive Jennifer Parks as its new global chief operating officer, the firm said on Tuesday.
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October 08, 2026
Vic Court Of Appeal Rejects Stay Bid In $668K Venture Dispute
The Victorian Court of Appeal has rejected a stay application brought by Spencer Sherwood, Geotic and Alluvial Mining against a County Court of Victoria judgment that found Sherwood engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct and awarded former investor Mark Glen $668,000 in damages.
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October 08, 2026
Allens Joins Data Centre Group Amid AI Infrastructure Boom
Allens has joined the peak body for Australia's data centre industry as an affiliate member, in an announcement on Wednesday, signalling support for the growing industry amid increasing public opposition.
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October 08, 2026
Hall & Wilcox Adds Holding Redlich Employment Partner
Hall & Wilcox has hired Holding Redlich's Andrew Klein as a partner in Canberra specialising in government workplace relations and employment matters, the firm said in a statement on Wednesday.
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October 07, 2026
CyberSecurity Firm Urges AI Rules With Real Consequences
Global cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks says Australian AI cybersecurity guidance should be made legally enforceable, telling a parliamentary inquiry on Wednesday there should be real consequences if firms fail to properly consider security when deploying artificial intelligence.
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October 07, 2026
Aggrieved Investor Sues QGold, Billionaire Founder
A former Strategic Minerals shareholder has sued QGold and its billionaire founder, Christopher Wallin, in Federal Court over alleged misconduct during QGold's 2020 takeover of the company.
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October 07, 2026
CBA Urges Govt To Consider Opt-Out Rules For AI Training
Commonwealth Bank of Australia Chief Executive Matt Comyn said Australia's lawmakers should consider a statutory AI-training copyright regime under which rights holders could opt out of having their material used to train AI models and receive compensation when it is used.
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October 07, 2026
Greensill Blocked Verification On Invoices, White Oak Says
US investment firm White Oak Global Advisors told the Federal Court of Australia that Lex Greensill blocked it from verifying invoices from multinationals including Mitsubishi and Panasonic, as it defended negligence allegations relating to its deal with the financier as it seeks to recover million of dollars in insurance claims linked to the invoices it bought.
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October 07, 2026
JWS Hires G+T IP Partner Chris Williams In Sydney
Johnson Winter Slattery has added Gilbert + Tobin's Chris Williams as a partner specialising in intellectual property in Sydney, the firm said in a statement on Wednesday.
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October 07, 2026
WA Supreme Court Appoints Simon Millman Registrar
The Supreme Court of Western Australia has elected former state Labor politician Simon Millman as its registrar and extended Todd Hill's tenure as an acting registrar, the WA Supreme Court said in a statement on Thursday.
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October 07, 2026
Creators Warn AI Loophole Could Enable Data Laundering
Creators say the federal government should not weaken Australia's copyright laws to attract AI investment and must stop overseas AI breaching Australian law, warning the nation could become a "data laundering center" for AI training, in a parliamentary hearing in Sydney.
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October 07, 2026
Bickford's Fails To Block Noot Expert Reports In Spritz IP Row
A Federal Court of Australia judge has allowed two expert reports from a drinks-industry consultant to be used in a trademark dispute between Bickford's Australia and Noot Drinks over the use of the word "spritz" in non-alcoholic drinks.
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October 06, 2026
SMEC, AFP Agree $9M Settlement Over Foreign Bribery Probe
Engineering firm SMEC has agreed to a $9 million settlement with the Australian Federal Police, ending a long-running foreign bribery investigation, with no admission of liability or referral to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
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October 05, 2026
White Oak Must Post $5M As IAG Flags Asset Concerns
Greensill Capital creditor White Oak must provide $5 million in security costs after the Federal Court of Australia granted applications by underwriter BCC Tokio Marine and insurer IAG, which argued that the investment vehicle was "effectively in run-off" with minimal assets.
High Court Emission Ruling's Narrow Focus May Blunt Impact
Climate activists have welcomed a High Court ruling requiring a planning commission to reconsider a coal mine expansion's approval to account for indirect emissions — but environmental and planning lawyers say its narrow legal basis could limit its wider impact.
JB Hi-Fi Says Warranties Offered More Than Class Claims
Retailer JB Hi-Fi has denied misleading eight million consumers with purportedly worthless extended warranties, arguing in a hearing in the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne that the guarantees offered benefits not automatically available under consumer law and included additional protections like wear and tear.
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Tokio Marine, IAG Hid Greensill Policy Flaw, Fund Says
BCC Tokio Marine knew its lead underwriter had exceeded their authority by issuing trade credit insurance policies for Greensill Capital but concealed this from investors to prevent withdrawals, the Federal Court of Australia heard on the second day of a trial over $170 million in insurance losses stemming from the supply chain finance firm's collapse.
High Court Emission Ruling's Narrow Focus May Blunt Impact
Climate activists have welcomed a High Court ruling requiring a planning commission to reconsider a coal mine expansion's approval to account for indirect emissions — but environmental and planning lawyers say its narrow legal basis could limit its wider impact.
JB Hi-Fi Says Warranties Offered More Than Class Claims
Retailer JB Hi-Fi has denied misleading eight million consumers with purportedly worthless extended warranties, arguing in a hearing in the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne that the guarantees offered benefits not automatically available under consumer law and included additional protections like wear and tear.
Tokio Marine, IAG Hid Greensill Policy Flaw, Fund Says
BCC Tokio Marine knew its lead underwriter had exceeded their authority by issuing trade credit insurance policies for Greensill Capital but concealed this from investors to prevent withdrawals, the Federal Court of Australia heard on the second day of a trial over $170 million in insurance losses stemming from the supply chain finance firm's collapse.
Editor's Picks
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High Court Emission Ruling's Narrow Focus May Blunt Impact
Climate activists have welcomed a High Court ruling requiring a planning commission to reconsider a coal mine expansion's approval to account for indirect emissions — but environmental and planning lawyers say its narrow legal basis could limit its wider impact.
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High Court Backs Activists In Landmark Coal Mine Case
The High Court of Australia on Wednesday ruled 3-2 to uphold a finding that a planning commission wrongly approved MACH Energy's coal mine expansion by failing to consider "Scope 3" greenhouse gas emissions, a decision activists say sets a precedent requiring Australian governments to take responsibility for emissions from coal that's exported.
Expert Analysis
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ASIC Win Broadens View Of Fixed-Yield Crypto Products
The High Court of Australia's recent landmark ruling in Australian Securities and Investments Commission v. Web3 Ventures, determining that fixed-yield cryptocurrency products are financial products, endorses an expansive approach to federal law that suggests purposive readings of existing statutes will be favoured over a wait-and-see approach to novel technology, say lawyers at Hall & Wilcox.
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Microsoft Defence Tests Disclosure Rules For Subscriptions
Microsoft recently filed its defence against the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s claim that the company misled consumers about subscription options, setting up a significant contest about disclosure obligations, the nature of subscription software models, and when silence in a sales context amounts to misleading conduct, says Shaun Temby at Maddocks.
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Practice Leader Insights From Phi Finney's Joel Phibbs
Joel Phibbs, Phi Finney's anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing practice lead, discusses the approach of banks when dealing with compliance, the challenges of delays in getting cases to trial, and why financial bodies' regulatory burden and the desire to lower costs using artificial intelligence seem like a recipe for major problems in the future.
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Practice Leader Insights From HSF Kramer's Andrew Bradley
Andrew Bradley, leader of HSF Kramer's financial services regulatory practice in Australia, discusses managing mental health while working on a complex matter, the glaring need for further reform in the financial advice sector, and why this practice area may be the most dynamic and intellectually stimulating.
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Blue Star Shows Why Liquidators Need Approval Rule Reform
The recent Queensland Supreme Court decision in Blue Star Care v. Rimcroft highlights the uncertainty surrounding Section 477(2B) of the Corporations Act court approvals regime, meaning that until outright reform is implemented liquidators must make unsatisfactory choices between what is safe and what is in creditors’ best interests, says Robert True at Quinn Emanuel.
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Australia's Computer Patent Ruling Will Aid Global Companies
While courts around the world have struggled to articulate a technology-neutral test for patentability of computer-implemented inventions, a recent decision by Australia's top court offers a decisive answer, creating strategic opportunities for overseas applicants, say attorneys at Mallesons.
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Decoding Arbitral Disputes: ICSID Enforcement In Australia
The Federal Court of Australia recently ruled for award creditors in Blasket Renewable Investments v. Spain in a judgment that explains how Australia's statute book operationalizes the promise of depoliticized enforcement under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Convention while accommodating, without yielding to, the centrifugal forces of European Union law, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.