The government yesterday introduced into Parliament the Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response) Bill 2020 to implement a large number of the Hayne Royal Commission recommendations. Many provisions have a start date of 1 January 2021, and some don't have a transition period. ...

Build-to-Rent (BTR) helps drive economic productivity, and with the right government intervention, could not only play a key role in Australia’s economic recovery from COVID-19, but also ensure the future liveability and resilience of our cities. ...

Funds and institutional investors are uniquely positioned to play a pivotal role in this recovery and to respond to the disruption and opportunities that have been presented in infrastructure. ...

Chief Justice Allsop of the Federal Court recently imposed on a bank, by consent of ASIC and the bank, civil penalties totalling $10 million for unconscionable conduct in carrying out an inadequate customer remediation process. It highlights the importance of banks and other financial services licensees having in place robust compliance programs and taking prompt and comprehensive action where possible non-compliance is identified. ...

The long-awaited ISDA IBOR Fallbacks Supplement and Protocol will be going live today with the endorsement of ASIC, the RBA and APRA. They implement new benchmark fallbacks for both future and existing derivative contracts, facilitating the efficient transition from LIBOR and other IBORs in anticipation of their discontinuation. If you have a derivatives portfolio, the Protocol allows quick and easy adoption of the new fallbacks through a one-off adherence. That said, it may not be sufficient to cover all scenarios. ...

The pandemic has shone blinding spotlights on existing areas of concern within competition law and accelerated attempts by policy makers to find solutions. ...

ICPF's portfolio includes 15 office assets, including premium buildings such as Deutsche Bank Place, Sydney; 60 Martin Place, Sydney; and 120 Collins Street, Melbourne. 'We were delighted to work ...

The Victorian SRO has released a draft revenue ruling in an effort to provide practical guidance as to what types of activities constitute 'land development'. Unfortunately, the Draft Ruling does not overcome the existing uncertainty in some common situations and arguably seeks to expand the types of activities that may be considered 'land development'. ...

The Government announced a simplification to Australia's consumer credit regulatory regime, which has been widely reported as a 'wind back' or 'axing' of the responsible lending obligations (RLOs) under the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 (Cth) (Credit Act). Learn more from our experts. ...

Second tranche of draft FIRB reforms released; ASIC releases Corporate Plan for 2020-24; ASIC grants relief for escrow and non-promotional communications for IPOs and updates RG5 and RG254; High Court sides with employers and clarifies personal/carer's leave entitlements; ACCC releases ninth interim gas inquiry report; extension of temporary COVID-19 continuous disclosure and insolvency relief measures; ALRC reports on Australia's corporate criminal responsibility regime. ...