A new environmental protection regime in the Northern Territory will commence imminently. The Environment Protection Act 2019 and Environment Protection Regulations 2020 (NT) will commence on 28 June 2020. All operators and proponents should prepare for commencement of this new regime. In particular, proponents with projects currently being assessed under the Environmental Assessment Administrative Procedures 1984 should take advice regarding how their assessment will complete upon the commencement of the new regime. ...

The NSW Government is seeking feedback on a new set of guidelines for special infrastructure contributions (SIC Guidelines) and some proposed amendments to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000 (EPA Regulations) which will require greater reporting on the receipt and expenditure of contributions under local contributions plans and planning agreements. ...

The European Commission has announced it will introduce a legislative initiative in 2021 on mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence for certain companies. ...

The sudden and unknown nature of COVID-19 has triggered a global economic shock, and disrupted Australia's economy. As we enter a national state of economic 'hibernation', banks and lenders are grappling with a sudden influx of relief requests from consumer and business customers. ...

The recent Federal Court decision in ASIC v AGM Markets has provided some much needed clarification of what it means to provide financial services 'fairly' in the context of the 'efficiently, honestly and fairly' obligation. ...

Commissioner Hayne's comments in his final report, and the surge of community interest in super, have resulted in a renaissance of sorts for the 'best interests' obligation. ...

The demand for electricity in Vietnam is rising rapidly to power the growing economy. Forcasts predict an annual growth rate for electricity of 'near-double' digits in the years to come. To keep pace with demand, the Government has envisioned substantial expansion to the national power generation ca ...

We said at the outset of this pandemic that financial advice will play an important role in supporting members who are considering whether to access their super early. Alive to that, ASIC recently released a series of measures to facilitate access to financial advice ...

In the recently released Technology Investment Roadmap Discussion Paper, the Federal Government puts forward a proposed framework to govern the investment of public funds in the development of new technologies designed to lower emissions. ...

In recent days, the economic uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic has proved the catalyst for the introduction of two long-debated changes to Australia's class action and continuous disclosure regimes. ...