On 29 March 2020, the Federal Treasurer announced major changes to Australia's foreign investment approval (FIRB) regime to address risks arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. ...

The COVID-19 pandemic and its broad-reaching economic impacts poses a significant challenge to the continuous operation of oil and gas projects in Australia. ...

The Department of Industry, Innovation and Science (DIIS) is currently reviewing the policy, regulatory and legislative framework for decommissioning infrastructure in Commonwealth offshore waters under the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 (Cth) (OPGGSA). ...

The Environment Protection Amendment Act 2018 (Vic) (EP Act), which was set to commence on 1 July 2020 (and overhaul environmental laws in Victoria) will now commence on 1 July 2021 as a part of a suite of emergency measures in response to COVID-19. ...

On 16 April 2020, the Environmental Protection Amendment Bill 2020 (WA) was introduced to the WA Parliament. ...

The Queensland Parliament has passed the Resources Safety and Health Queensland Act 2020 (Qld) (RSHQ Act), which when it comes into effect on 1 July 2020, will change the State's regulatory framework for health and safety in the resources industry. ...

Gas regulation in Victoria is set for major reform after the Government introduced two new bills aimed at enhancing the security of gas supply for the State. ...

The latest package of Australian IP law reform became law on 26 February 2020, when the Intellectual Property Laws Amendment (Productivity Commission Response Part 2 and Other Measures) Act 2020 – part of the Federal Government's response to the Productivity Commission's 2016 report on IP arrangemen ...

As the race for a COVID-19 vaccine and treatment continues, norms around IP use are being upended. Innovators need to navigate the use of their IP in this current climate. ...

In the recent Federal Court decision of JWR Productions Australia Pty Ltd v Duncan-Watt (No 2) [2020] FCA 236, Justice Thawley dismissed the claims by producer Jonathan Rockefeller that two co-producers of his off-Broadway puppet show parody Thank You For Being a Friend had, among other things, enga ...