In a decision following the Mt Arthur Coal case, the Fair Work Commission (the FWC) has decided that a vaccination site access requirement for BHP's coal mines in Queensland was a lawful and reasonable direction, having regard to privacy laws and the right to bodily integrity. ...

New anti-corruption watchdog, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (the NACC), has now been operating for 100 days, and has already received more than 1200 referrals and opened three investigations ...

Employers have had the option under the Hospitality Industry (General) Award 2020 (the Hospitality Award) of paying certain employees a loaded rate in satisfaction of overtime, penalty rates and the split shift allowance since 7 September 2021. ...

The Victorian Government has recently released an updated version of its Market-led Proposals Guideline (also known as 'unsolicited proposals' or 'exclusive transactions' in other states) which affirms its continued focus on market-led infrastructure and services projects. ...

The changes provide retail employers with increased flexibility to offer part-time employees additional hours at their ordinary rate of pay. ...

Following the release of the National Hydrogen Strategy in 2019, Australia is seeing exciting developments in government funding, new project announcements and private sector interest in a hydrogen industry. Federal and state governments are partnering with the private sector to support hydrogen technologies, in the race to become a premier exporter of clean hydrogen to the decarbonised global economy. This Insight explores the opportunities for Australia to establish a leading hydrogen industry, including recent policy developments, the latest funding announcements and key legal issues to be aware of. ...

Duck v Airservices Australia (No 3) is the latest in a series of cases that have grappled with the intersection of employment class actions, litigation funders and the traditionally 'no costs' jurisdiction of the Fair Work Act. We examine the decision and its potential impacts on employment class action risk. ...

ASIC's recent consultation paper (CP335) on proposed changes to its remediation guidance (RG256) may have created further space between what is legally required of remediations and what ASIC may expect of them. ...

The Federal Court has declared that Youi Pty Ltd (Youi) breached its duty of utmost good faith under section 13 of the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (Cth) (ICA) in relation to its handling of an insurance claim for damage to an insured's home. The decision is an important reminder of the broad scope and potential reach of the duty. ...

In WA, the development of distributed energy resources (DER) technologies and new business models that weren’t contemplated by the current regulatory regime can pose safety and security issues to the South West Interconnected System. The WA Government has addressed these and other issues through various work streams delivered (and anticipated) in 2020, paving the way for a new-look energy future. ...