The Queensland Government has announced major reforms to its petroleum royalties regime which will come into force from 1 October 2020. This, and the royalty rates ultimately set, will have implications for the future returns on Queensland petroleum projects. Producers should also review any existing private arrangements that may have relied on the existing wellhead value approach to ensure any unanticipated consequences are resolved prior commencement of the new regime. ...

Since 20 March 2020, the ACCC has granted a number of urgent interim authorisations across a range of industries allowing businesses to collaborate in response to COVID-19. ...

On 24 March 2020, the Productivity Commission released its draft report on resources sector regulation. ...

On 28 April 2020, a number of amendments to the OPGGSA and the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Regulatory Levies) Act 2003 (Cth) (Levies Act) came into force. ...

The most significant impact of the Act is to extend the term of the State Agreement by a further 25 years from 31 December 2034 to 31 December 2059. ...

In November 2019, the COAG Energy Council released Australia's National Hydrogen Strategy. The Strategy provides a framework for leveraging Australia's significant natural resources and experience with resource development to develop a strong domestic hydrogen sector. ...

As electricity prices rise and we move towards a carbon‑constrained future, companies are looking for ways to manage their exposure to changing electricity prices and to purchase electricity from renewable sources. Generators are also looking beyond retailers as potential offtakers to support the de ...

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 ...

The recent decision of ACCC v Bupa Aged Care contains valuable lessons on the importance of compliance programs. They include how quickly improving or implementing such programs can lead to lower penalties; the extent to which regulators and courts favourably view effective compliance programs when assessing penalties, and what features they consider to be essential. ...

COVID-19 and the introduction of the JobKeeper scheme has had a critical impact on business. In a recent statement, the Fair Work Commission (FWC) shared valuable insights on the trends in disputes emerging in the early days of the scheme and how it will manage these cases moving forward. ...