October marks the commencement of the design and distribution obligations (DDO) regime, the deferred sales model for add-on insurance (DSM), changes to the anti-hawking rules, refreshed standards for internal dispute resolution systems and, to top it all off, a new breach reporting regime. ...

Under the new hawking prohibition in sections 992A and 992AA of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act), a person must not offer a financial product to a retail client (consumer) in the course of, or because of unsolicited, real-time contact. ...

Last week, the Federal Government published its long-awaited response to the ALRC and Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services Report's inquiries into class actions. ...

2021 has been an unusual year in many respects and class actions have not been immune from both the pressures and distractions of COVID-19, and other challenges not linked to the pandemic. With nine months of the year behind us, a reasonably clear picture of class action activity is starting to take ...

On 20 August 2021, the Energy Ministers agreed that the national gas regulatory framework should be reviewed and amended to incorporate hydrogen and other renewables into the national gas network. This will facilitate the use of hydrogen, biomethane and other renewable gases within existing gas networks and natural gas appliances. ...

The Department for Home Affairs has released the Australian Government's Ransomware Action Plan (the Plan). This development forms part of the Government's Cyber Strategy and is the latest in a series of actions taken by the Government to combat the escalating threat of ransomware and extortion. ...

The positive Senate inquiry into the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021 (the OEI Bill) suggests this legislation will be passed shortly. It represents a long-awaited step towards developing a regulatory framework and providing greater certainty for investors in offshore wind farm projects, as well as other forms of offshore electricity infrastructure. ...

Over recent decades, the number of farmers in Australia has been decreasing and the size of farms has been increasing. According to the Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, larger farms tend to be more profitable, invest more in innovation, and generate a higher rate of return on capital than smaller farms. ...

In our latest update, we examine the progress of new and existing rule change requests to the AEMC across the month of September, as well as take a closer look at the AEMC's introduction of primary frequency response incentive arrangements. ...

There are several recommendations aimed at ensuring readiness for the retirement of ageing thermal generation in the Final Advice on the Post 2025 Market Design of the National Electricity Market (the NEM). In this Insight, we analyse two of the most important, and imminent, reforms. ...