Corporate Practice AU

October 26, 2026
Federal Courts Review Alleged Transcript Data Breach

The Attorney-General's Department told Senate estimates on Monday that CyberCX's September report to the Federal Court and Federal Circuit and Family Court investigated alleged unauthorised offshore transcript transfers by a failed provider, raising concerns about overseas access to sensitive court information.
October 26, 2026
Shine Investigating Class Action Over NEXTDC Forecasts

Shine Lawyers said Monday it is investigating whether NEXTDC misled investors with its earnings forecasts and failed to disclose major changes affecting its business ahead of a possible class action, as the data centre developer's chairman said he would step down following a share price plunge.
October 26, 2026
Reddit Hits Back At Gov't In Social Media Ban High Court Case

The federal government's ban on under-16s having social media accounts reduces their political communication on social media to passively receiving information and deprives them of an effective way to change public opinion, Reddit argued in a newly published reply in its High Court of Australia challenge to the ban.
October 23, 2026
Optus Seeks Secrecy Over 87% Of Data Breach Records

Optus is seeking confidentiality over 87% of tendered documents in a class action over a 2022 data breach that affected 9.5 million people, the plaintiff's lawyers have told the Federal Court of Australia.
October 23, 2026
Domino's Appeals Class Action Ruling Over Worker Pay

Domino's Pizza Enterprises has appealed a Federal Court class action ruling that it misled franchisees about workers' minimum pay and conditions, causing staff to be underpaid.
October 23, 2026
Court Approves $55M ALDI Class Action Settlement

The Federal Court of Australia on Friday approved a settlement in a class action covering approximately 32,300 current and former ALDI store and warehouse employees over allegations of unpaid work outside their rostered shifts.
October 23, 2026
New Insurance Code Would Make Insurer Duties Contractual

Consumers would be able to sue general insurers for breaching the standards in the Insurance Council of Australia's new code of practice, which has been handed to ASIC for approval.
October 22, 2026
AFCA Urges Early Resolution Ahead Of Role Expansion

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority urged businesses to resolve more disputes internally before they escalate, after receiving a record 119,949 complaints in the 2025-26 financial year.
October 22, 2026
ASIC Probes MGF Capital's Role In Alleged $138M Scam

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission is investigating whether an Australian financial services company and its sole director misused the terms of its license by allowing a subcontractor group to allegedly scam at least $138 million from investors.
October 22, 2026
ASIC Lifts Asset Threshold For Managed Investment Schemes

The corporate regulator has increased the asset requirement for managed investment schemes, investor directed portfolio operators and retail corporate collective investment vehicles, the first uplift in 14 years, according to a statement on Wednesday.
October 21, 2026
ASIC Alleges Ex-Super Retail CEO Misled Directors

ASIC alleges that Super Retail Group's former chief executive misled its directors by dismissing allegations of a relationship with its then-HR boss as baseless, according to Federal Court of Australia documents provided to Law360.
October 21, 2026
Maurice Blackburn Says Time-Based Fees Stifle AI Adoption

AI could make legal services more accessible to people deterred by cost and complexity, but pricing models that reward time spent must change, the chief executive of Maurice Backburn told Law360 ahead of a parliamentary hearing on Thursday.
October 21, 2026
Fortescue Fires Senior Exec After MinterEllison Misconduct Investigation

Fortescue announced it has fired a senior executive after an independent investigation by law firm MinterEllison found evidence of misconduct, adding there is no place for sexual harassmentand bullying at the iron ore giant.
October 21, 2026
Pratt's Visy Group Pays $4.1M Over Late Financial Reports

Visy Industries and 20 other companies within billionaire businessman Anthony Pratt's family-owned packaging and recycling group have paid more than $4.1 million in infringement notices for allegedly failing to lodge financial reports on time, Australia's corporate regulator said on Wednesday.
October 21, 2026
ASIC Probes Whether Firmus Misled Investors Before IPO Collapse

ASIC is probing whether data centre operator Firmus may have misled investors ahead of its collapsed initial public offering but has not begun a formal investigation, ASIC's director of enforcement and compliance Chris Savundra told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday.
October 21, 2026
New Privacy Rules Put AI, Even Basic Software Under Scrutiny

The Privacy Commissioner's new automated decision-making disclosure rules will force companies to review even rules-based spreadsheet software like Excel as well as AI programs to stave off inadequate transparency risk, lawyers warn.
October 20, 2026
Ex-Rex CEO Fined $800K, Banned 4Ys On Misleading Forecast

The former Executive Chairman and CEO of Rex Airlines has been fined $800,000 and banned from managing a company for four years over breaches of director duties including his role in a misleading profit guidance, according to a ruling in the Supreme Court of New South Wales in Sydney on Monday.
October 20, 2026
Victorian Bar Slams Proposed Barrister Fee Caps

The Victorian Government plans to cap barrister fees across the state's public sector departments and agencies, which Victorian Bar president Fiona Ryan SC says "will unfairly and disproportionately affect women barristers."
October 20, 2026
NSW Bill To Protect Mine Expansion After High Court Ruling

The NSW Government announced on Monday plans to intervene in the MACH Energy Mount Pleasant coal mine legal battle by legislating to increase production in response to the High Court of Australia's 3-2 majority ruling this month that a planning commission incorrectly approved an extension of the mine's operations to 2048 by failing to consider its Scope 3 emissions.
October 19, 2026
Govt Moves To Ease Reporting Rules For Smaller Firms

The Federal Government plans to reduce financial and sustainability reporting obligations for smaller companies by raising the thresholds used to classify large proprietary companies, under draft regulations released by Treasury on Monday.
October 16, 2026
ASIC Bans Ex-MWL Adviser For 4 Years Over Shield Advice

ASIC banned a former MWL adviser on Friday from providing financial services for four years, saying he failed to act in clients' best interests by recommending they invest their superannuation in a now-collapsed fund and misled them about its performance.
October 15, 2026
ASIC Floats $14M Capital Rule For Digital Asset Platforms

ASIC proposed on Thursday new capital requirements for digital asset and tokenised custody platforms to win a financial license including having assets worth $14 million or 10% of average revenue, whichever is the greater.
October 15, 2026
ACCC Chair Says Divestments Can Clear Merger Concerns

The consumer watchdog's chair said Thursday that requiring companies to sell assets can address concerns about anticompetitive mergers — but interventions under the regulator's new merger regime must be proportionate to the risks to competition.
October 15, 2026
ATO New Powers To Target Tax Fraud, Financial Abuse

The Federal Government plans new powers for the Australian Taxation Office to tackle tax fraud and boost responses to financial abuse, in a statement on Thursday.
October 15, 2026
ACCC Says Kmart Failed To Warn On Deadly Battery Risks

The ACCC sued Kmart Australia in the Federal Court of Australia on Thursday, alleging the retailer failed to warn customers about burn risks from millions of bottles of nail glue and sold thousands of button batteries in products without required testing or warnings, putting young children at risk of injury or death.

Editor's Picks

KPMG Government Contract Ban Extended On Ethics Failings

The Department of Finance has extended a ban on KPMG Australia bidding for Commonwealth contracts until February 2027 and will monitor its governance reforms for three years, after an independent review published Thursday found the firm "mishandled" a whistleblower matter and identified "failures of leadership, culture, governance and accountability."

Expert Analysis

Making Private Equity-Style Protections Work For Public Deals

While private equity structures such as novel break fees and warranty and indemnity protections are now increasingly used in public mergers and acquisitions, these risk allocation mechanisms need to be adapted to succeed in regulated public equity transactions, says Andrew Gaffney at K&L Gates.
ASIC Data Shows What Makes Voluntary Administration Work

A recent Australian Securities and Investments Commission report on voluntary administration offers helpful insights on how the structure of a deed of company arrangement affects the prospects for success, and how DOCA returns compare with liquidation, say lawyers at HFW.
Navigating New Australia Foreign Capital Gains, Merger Rules

Australia's recently enacted Treasury Law amendments, reforming the foreign resident capital gains tax regime and making critical changes to the merger notification framework, mark a significant escalation in regulatory enforcement, while showing that the government wants to remain attractive for foreign capital in the energy transition, say lawyers at MinterEllison.
What To Know As Australia's New CGT Regime Takes Shape

Lawyers at Mallesons take stock of Australia’s recently enacted Treasury Law amendments and explain the capital gains tax regime's current state, the issues that were resolved during the legislative process, the questions that remain unanswered, and the practical steps that taxpayers and advisers should take before commencement next year.
What To Know About ASX Listing Reform, Enforcement Plans

The Australian Securities Exchange’s forthcoming proposed listing rule reforms and enforcement priorities represent a measured evolution in shareholder oversight in public markets, and heightened investor expectations for transparency and participation in corporate decisions, say lawyers at Addisons.
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.
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.
Australian Payments Reg. Proposals Will Broaden Oversight

The Australian government’s recent payments regulation proposals for a more activity-based licensing framework will significantly expand the perimeter of entities, indicating that the regulators view payment systems, digital assets and tokenized financial infrastructure as part of a connected regulatory ecosystem, say lawyers at Corrs.