Over the past decade, there has been a significant increase in the pace and scale of regulatory investigations and enforcement activity, including a spate of high profile royal commissions and inquiries into potential wrongdoing by institutions, companies, and their directors and officers. ...

The widely anticipated draft Design and Place SEPP has now been publicly exhibited and contains some surprising departures from last year's Explanation of Intended Effects. The question is whether it achieves the goal to ‘simplify and consolidate… good design in NSW'. ...

With 2022 now in full swing and the due date for AUSTRAC compliance reports just around the corner (on 31 March 2022), we take a look at some recent changes to the form and how they will affect reporting entities. ...

The Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2021 (2021 Regulation) comes into effect on 1 March 2022. Here, we explain the key things you need to know to prepare yourself for these changes. ...

A full bench of the Federal Court has confirmed an earlier ruling that there was a prima facie case Facebook Inc (now Meta Platforms Inc) 'carries on a business' and collects personal information in Australia. With this decision, the Australian Information Commissioner can now proceed with the landmark case against Facebook Inc and Facebook Ireland Ltd in relation to a number of alleged breaches of the Australian Privacy Principles. ...

With ARENA's recently announced Large Scale Battery Storage Funding Round and the implementation of targeted regulatory reform on the horizon, investment in big batteries is expected to boom. In this Insight, we look at recent policy and regulatory developments, and highlight some of the key trends we are seeing in the big batteries space. ...

In the fight against patent infringement, challenging the validity of patent term extensions (PTEs) is increasingly becoming the weapon of choice for generic pharmaceutical companies. Since around the mid-2000s, patentees in pharmaceutical patent cases have typically been successful in bids for interlocutory injunctions, aiming to prevent the launch of generic products in Australia. The recent Biogen decision by the Federal Court is the latest in a trend of refusing interlocutory injunctions, and a clear indication the tide is turning. ...

Webinar: Contract Law update ...

Alongside record flows into sustainable funds and investments, growing attention on ESG presents opportunities and challenges for investors and fund managers alike. Watch our latest video on key steps to harnessing the opportunities and mitigating the risks that ESG investing brings. ...

Contract law is at the core of almost every lawyer's practice. We prepare the Contract Law Update by reviewing every contract law decision handed down by Australian appellate courts during the year and preparing summaries of those most relevant to lawyers in commercial practice. ...