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    The scales of justice and a gavel (iStock.com)

    Clive Palmer Company Pleads Guilty in Takeover Law Case

    Billionaire Clive Palmer's company Palmer Leisure Coolum has pled guilty in the Brisbane Magistrate's Court to breaching takeover law over a proposed acquisition of a timeshare resort scheme after over a decade of legal battles, including a series of attempted appeals by the Queensland mining and resort businessman to the High Court

    ASIC Launches Probe Into KPMG's Alleged Info Sharing

    ASIC has started a formal investigation into KPMG, as well as two of the consulting giant's audit senior partners, escalating probes into allegations staff misused confidential client information to help win new accounts, agency Chair Sarah Court said in a senate hearing on Friday.

    H&M, Sephora, Zara Pay $600k Over Late Financial Reports

    Beauty retailer Sephora and fast fashion giants H&M and Zara have paid nearly $600,000 combined after Australia's corporate regulator hit the trio with infringement notices for failing to lodge timely financial reports, ASIC announced Thursday.

  • June 09, 2026

    James Hardie Hit With Class Action After Weak US Results

    A James Hardie shareholder has hit the building materials giant with a class action in the Victorian Supreme Court, accusing the company of misleading investors about weaknesses in its American business that knocked more than a third off its share price value.

  • June 04, 2026

    Solar Directors Must Return $880K As Judge Says Doc Faked

    Two former directors of a solar equipment joint venture must return $880,000 to the company after using a faked sale document to extract funds as the business relationship broke down, a Federal Court judge ruled Thursday while criticizing both sides for unreliable, self-serving testimony that forced him to rely on the logic of events over their recounts.

  • June 04, 2026

    ASIC Bans NSW Director For 'Complete Disregard' Of Duties

    ASIC said on Thursday it has disqualified Genna Raber from managing companies for five years, his second ban, over his complete disregard for his director responsibilities while involved in three failed construction and finishing companies contracted to build Russian embassies in Australia.

  • June 03, 2026

    Brambles Can't Trim $20M Costs In Investor Class Action

    Brambles is on the hook for around $20 million in costs after losing a landmark shareholder class action over misrepresenting its expected earnings, with a Federal Court judge on Wednesday rejecting its bid for a 50% cost reduction, saying the shareholders had not unnecessarily pursued weak claims.

  • June 03, 2026

    Mercer Super Agrees To Pay $10.3M For Reporting Failures

    Mercer Superannuation has agreed to a $10.3 million penalty over allegations it failed to inform ASIC about investigations into several issues, including its handling of refunds following the death of members, the regulator told a Federal Court judge on Wednesday.

  • June 02, 2026

    Big Un Ex-CFO Insider Trading Case Dropped By Prosecutors

    Federal prosecutors have dropped insider trading charges against the former CFO of tech company Big Un after a jury in March failed to reach a verdict on allegations he used companies in his control to sell $5 million worth of the ASX-listed stock before it collapsed, ASIC said.

  • June 02, 2026

    Law Society Says $200M Needed For 'Deteriorating' SA Courts

    The Law Society of South Australia has urged the state government to invest $200 million to help address the "sorry state" of court buildings, saying years of minimal spending on upkeep is harming vulnerable court users and has delayed justice.

  • June 01, 2026

    Star Fined $10M On 'Systemic' Financial Crime Failures

    Star Entertainment must pay $10 million in fines over failures to check if customers were linked to criminal activity including money laundering and terrorism financing, and allowing customers to gamble for over 12-hours in a 24-hour time frame, the casino regulator ruled on Monday, adding pressure on the beleaguered operator.

  • June 01, 2026

    New Federal Circuit AI Rules Stress Strong Human Oversight

    The Federal Circuit and Family Court has released instructions for the use of artificial intelligence in court proceedings, saying lawyers must make sure related information is accurate and that AI protects the privacy and safety of parties involved in litigation.

  • June 01, 2026

    ANZ Appeals NZ Ruling Awarding $125M To Mortgage Holders

    ANZ said it is appealing the High Court of New Zealand's judgment handing NZ$125 million to mortgage holders in a class action over loan disclosures.

  • June 01, 2026

    IAG Settles In $4B Greensill Collapse Case In Federal Court

    Insurance Australia Group Limited has reached a confidential settlement with the administrator for collapsed Greensill Capital, settling claims in the Federal Court of Australia over roughly $4 billion plus interest in policies, the insurer announced Friday.

  • May 29, 2026

    Dexus Must Sell $4B Airport Stake After 'Reckless' Breaches

    Real estate investment giant Dexus must sell its roughly $4 billion stake in Melbourne and Launceston airports after a NSW Supreme Court judge ruled Friday that it had acted in "reckless disregard" in breaching its shareholder deed by revealing confidential financial information and "dishonestly" covered it up.

  • May 29, 2026

    ASIC's Longo Says Regulatory Burden 'Too High'

    ASIC chair Joe Longo has called for reforms to corporate law to reduce compliance burdens, in a final speech to Parliament on Friday, after five years overseeing a more aggressive corporate regulator that doubled investigations and secured record penalties including a $250 million ANZ fine for widespread misconduct and risk failures.

  • May 28, 2026

    Mayfair 101 Seeks To Undo $30M ASIC Penalties Case

    A group of companies led by prominent failed businessman James Mawhinney has asked the Federal Court to set aside $30 million in penalties for misleading investors about risky investment products, arguing their original 2021 trial was unfair.

  • May 28, 2026

    Full Federal Court Rules Worley Misled Market

    The Full Federal Court on Thursday ruled on appeal that global engineering firm Worley Limited misled investors in its 2013 earnings guidance, handing shareholders a major victory in a long-running class action and bolstering market-based causation in securities litigation. 

  • May 28, 2026

    Judge Questions ASIC 'Irrationality' On Star $1.3M Penalty Ask

    Federal Court Justice Michael Lee pressed ASIC on Thursday to justify its proposed hefty penalties for anti-money laundering compliance breaches by two former Star Entertainment executives, saying disparities with other fines issued pre-trial made the regulator's proposals look irrational.

  • May 28, 2026

    Banks Face Stiffer Scam Obligations Under Draft Rules

    Australian banks would need to take reasonable steps to prevent, detect and disrupt scams, and report and respond to them, under new draft rules released by the Albanese Government on Thursday, as well as issue automatic repayments of claims under $3,000.

  • May 27, 2026

    Small, Medium, Really Big: APRA's New Bank Rule Tiers

    The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority on Wednesday eased compliance burdens for small and medium banks by lifting its threshold for designating "significant" financial institutions by $10 billion.

  • May 27, 2026

    Westpac Must Pay $26M After Mishandling Hardship Claims

    Westpac must pay $26 million in civil penalties after the Federal Court in Melbourne ruled on Tuesday it had failed to respond to more than 200 of its more vulnerable customers' financial hardship requests, which Judge Timothy McEvoy described as "grossly negligent."

  • May 27, 2026

    NSW Chief Judge Says Don't Assume Safe Harbour Covers AI

    New South Wales Chief Justice Andrew Bell warned in a recent speech that company directors will not be protected from liability if they rely on artificial intelligence without prudent oversight given the technology's well-known risks of "sycophantic agreement," bias and hallucination.

  • May 26, 2026

    Judge Refuses To Disqualify ERA Legal In $67M Loan Dispute

    ERA Legal can stay on as solicitors for lenders in a lawsuit over a $66.7 million loan, after a Federal Court judge in Perth ruled that even though the firm's fees tied to the loan itself are part of the litigation, it does not mean the Sydney commercial law firm is conflicted and must be disqualified.

  • May 26, 2026

    Don't License Super Switching, Ban It, Pension Funds Say

    Opposition to businesses who encourage superannuation switching is building within the retirement fund industry with the Super Members Council and CBUS backing an outright ban as Treasury considers changes following the billion-dollar collapse of First Guardian and Shield Master funds.

  • May 26, 2026

    Credit Suisse Can't Claim Euro Shield For Greensill Docs

    Credit Suisse must cough up unredacted documents in a $2.2 billion dispute with insurers over the collapse of Greensill Capital, after a Federal Court judge in Sydney ruled on May 18 that the need for a fair trial trumps the risk of violating European privacy laws.

  • May 26, 2026

    ASIC Warns Gen Z Is New Target Of Crypto Scams

    ASIC warned Monday that scammers using WhatsApp groups for share trading and stock tips are pushing fake cryptocurrency investment platforms on Generation Z investors who are more at risk due to their "widespread exposure" to crypto advertising on social media.

  • May 26, 2026

    Veteran Lawyer Woodburn Joins AFCA As New Superannuation Chief

    Veteran superannuation lawyer and former Allens consultant Paul Woodburn has joined the financial industry ombudsman as its new superannuation chief, AFCA announced Monday.

Expert Analysis

  • Australian Payments Reg. Proposals Will Broaden Oversight

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    The Australian government’s recent payments regulation proposals for a more activity-based licensing framework will significantly expand the perimeter of entities, indicating that the regulators view payment systems, digital assets and tokenized financial infrastructure as part of a connected regulatory ecosystem, say lawyers at Corrs.

  • Australia's Computer Patent Ruling Will Aid Global Companies

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    While courts around the world have struggled to articulate a technology-neutral test for patentability of computer-implemented inventions, a recent decision by Australia's top court offers a decisive answer, creating strategic opportunities for overseas applicants, say attorneys at Mallesons.

  • Assessing The Significance Of Australia-EU's Free Trade Deal

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    The recently concluded Australia-European Union free trade agreement could be a springboard for a more ambitious initiative bringing together the EU and the economies of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, a critical mass capable of shaping norms across subsidies, sustainability disciplines and competition policy, says Alan Yanovich at Akin Gump.

  • Decoding Arbitral Disputes: ICSID Enforcement In Australia

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    The Federal Court of Australia recently ruled for award creditors in Blasket Renewable Investments v. Spain in a judgment that explains how Australia's statute book operationalizes the promise of depoliticized enforcement under the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes Convention while accommodating, without yielding to, the centrifugal forces of European Union law, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray's Inn.