In April this year, highly anticipated increases to the financial penalties for contravening the Franchising Code (the Code) came into effect. As a result of these changes, it's essential that business review their franchise agreements to ensure they remain compliant with the Franchising Code. ...

Marking a further step in the New South Wales Government's 'Construct NSW' building and construction industry reforms, the Independent Construction Industry Ratings Tool (iCIRT) – which assesses construction professionals against a series of criteria2 – has released the first 19 developers and builders to have a public rating. In this Insight, we explain iCIRT's potential impact, and what action construction professionals and businesses can be taking now. ...

In this Insight, we consider how federal anti-bribery laws may evolve under the Albanese government, and comment on its possible use of sanctions. ...

As businesses continue to focus on ESG it's important to be aware of potential competition and consumer law risks, including misleading environmental claims and anti-competitive industry collaboration. After watching this short Video, you will have a clear understanding of both of these issues and some of the practical steps you can take to prevent these risks. ...

Throughout significant periods of change, our banks remained resilient and a big part of our positive economic recovery. ...

The Full Federal Court has held that litigation funding agreements are not 'managed investment schemes' (MIS), overturning its own more than decade-old decision in Brookfield Multiplex. ...

A recent decision of the New South Wales Supreme Court considered a multi-tiered dispute resolution provision that required negotiation and expert determination before a party could refer a dispute to arbitration. In a move away from earlier authorities, the court found that the agreement to arbitrate in such a clause was 'operative' even if the negotiation and mediation steps had not yet been satisfied. The decision takes a broad view of when Australian courts must refer disputes to arbitration. ...

Suppliers of consumer products identified as a priority can expect to receive significant ACCC focus in the year ahead. The regulator has reiterated its support for a General Safety Provision, and flagged an increased focus on product safety online and the use of mandatory standards. ...

Greenwashing in the promotion of managed investment and superannuation funds is one of ASIC's current corporate governance priorities as it continues to 'monitor the market … looking for misleading claims about ESG and sustainability'. ...

In our latest update, we examine the progress of new and existing rule change requests to the AEMC across the month of May, as well as take a closer look at the AEMC's directions paper setting out a revised approach to primary frequency response incentive arrangements. ...