ASIC is consulting on a new regulatory guide for providers of digital financial product advice or robo-advice The regulatory guide is intended to help new entrants and existing Australian financial services licence holders For new entrants and licensees needing a reminder there is a nice summary of ...

Last month we were fortunate enough to host Barney Frank co-architect of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act 2010 to discuss financial regulation reform Coincidentally a couple of weeks later we were treated to a presentation on US financial regulation reforms by a US ...

The latest component of the Queensland Governments planning reform package has been released The draft Planning and Development Bill aims to facilitate Queenslands development by balancing economic growth environmental protection and community wellbeing Special Counsel Rosanne Meurling and Senior ...

The Financial System Inquiry Interim Report was issued today There are few surprises in the options and comments although there are some significant omissions There does not appear to be any push for a significant shift in policy or in the regulation of the financial system There will be adjustments ...

The Federal Government today released its long-awaited response to the Financial System Inquiry The Government says it has accepted all but one of the Inquirys 44 recommendations released late last year And this is broadly true with the only substantial recommendation to be rejected being the ...

The Federal Government has proposed new legislation that introduces two new criminal offences for false accounting into the Commonwealth Criminal Code The proposed false accounting offences are designed to help Australia comply with the OECDs Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public ...

The release of the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement has renewed the debate about the ability of foreign investors to sue governments under investor-State dispute settlement mechanisms which are commonly part of international trade agreements or investment treaties between States ...

Significant amendments to laws governing retail shop leases in Queensland will be made under new legislation just introduced into the Queensland Parliament Landlords should carefully review the Bill so they can be prepared for the new regime once it commences Partner John Beckinsale and Special ...

In a recent decision of the Victorian Supreme Court a Melbourne municipal council was held liable to compensate a landowner for the costs that were incurred by the landowner in the course of complying with a clean-up notice issued under the Environment Protection Act 1970 Vic despite the pollution ...

The World Bank has released its Benchmarking Public Procurement 2016 report which provides comparable data on regulatory environments that affect the ability of private companies to do business with governments in 77 economies Allens Partner Leighton OBrien and Linklaters Counsel Julia ...