As part of its current inquiry into class actions and litigation funders the Australian Law Reform Commission has released a discussion paper that is a timely contribution to the long-running debate on the appropriate regulation of class action proceedings and litigation funding In general it ...

Under the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth), the Court of Appeal have confirmed that 'fixtures' are to be understood in the same way as at general law and the same common law test applies to determining whether goods affixed to land have become fixtures. ...

A recent High Court case which addressed the Codelfa rule did not explicitly resolve the controversy as to its application, however may be seen as a further departure from the 'ambiguity gateway' approach. ...

The Federal Parliament has passed an industrial relations bill that includes significant increases to the whistleblower protections applicable to unions and employer organisations In what would be a comprehensive overhaul of Australias whistleblower laws the Federal Government has separately agreed ...

A recent Supreme Court of Victoria decision sounds a warning to principals and contractors alike – your dispute resolution clause must be clear and unambiguous, because the court will not go out of its way to cure a commercially peculiar, but perfectly workable, clause. ...

A potential game changer that sought to test the boundaries of the class action regime has been averted after the Federal Court refused to make a common fund order in the shareholder class action against Allco Finance The court has however questioned whether legislative reform is required to deal ...

After a considerable gestation period the proposed new design and distribution obligations for financial products, and intervention powers for ASIC, took their first, tentative steps yesterday, with the release of exposure draft legislation. ...

A broadened definition of whistleblower reforms to establish greater protections for whistleblowers and increased sanctions for retaliatory conduct are some of the recommendations by a Senate committee looking into whistleblower protections in the corporate public and not-for-profit sector We expect ...

ASIC has released draft updates to four existing Regulatory Guides and drafts of two new Regulatory Guides for managed investment schemes corporate collective investment vehicles and passport funds and announced a consultation period which will run until 8 December Partners Marc Kemp and Penny ...

The Queensland Government is proposing legislation that will restore a prohibition on landlords requiring tenants to pay land tax under commercial leases entered into after 1 January 1992 and before 30 June 2009 This essentially negates the effect of a Supreme Court decision that land tax from 30 ...