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  - Level 1
  - 333 King William Street
  - Adelaide SA 5000
  - GPO Box 949, Adelaide SA 5001
  - +61 8 8456 2433
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- Brisbane
  - Level 11, ONE ONE ONE
  - 111 Eagle Street
  - Brisbane QLD 4000
  - GPO Box 129, Brisbane QLD 4001
  - +61 7 3231 1666
  - +61 7 3229 5850
  - info.qld@gadens.com
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- Melbourne
  - Level 13, Collins Arch
  - 447 Collins Street
  - Melbourne VIC 3000
  - GPO Box 48, Melbourne VIC 3000
  - +61 3 9252 2555
  - +61 3 9252 2500
  - info.vic@gadens.com
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- Perth
  - Lavan (Associate office)
  - Level 20, The Quadrant
  - 1 William Street
  - Perth WA 6000
  - PO Box F338, Perth WA 6000
  - +61 8 9288 6000
  - +61 8 9288 6001
  - info.wa@gadens.com
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  - Level 20
  - 25 Martin Place
  - Sydney NSW 2000
  - PO Box H332, Australia Square NSW 1215
  - +61 2 9231 4996
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Defamation – what is required to establish ‘serious harm’?

The Federal Court of Australia recently handed down a decision in Selkirk v Hocking (No 2)[1] shedding light on the serious harm element of the cause of action for defamation. Background In November 2019, Ms Selkirk was convicted of multiple counts of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception by using falsified receipts to return goods […]

Fake news? – ACMA to receive new powers to hold digital platforms to account

The Australian Government has set its sights on combatting the growing trend of misinformation and disinformation on digital platforms, including social media channels, with the release of the draft Communications Legislation Amendment (Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation) Bill 2023 (Draft Bill) last Sunday. If implemented as proposed, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) would be […]

Regulatory action for greenwashing is upon us

Last week, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) commenced civil penalty proceedings for alleged greenwashing against Mercer Superannuation (Australia) Limited (Mercer). This is in addition to ASIC having issued penalty notices to at least four companies for alleged greenwashing, since October 2022. Last year, ASIC identified investigating greenwashing and taking enforcement action where greenwashing […]

Increased competition and consumer law penalties now take effect

The maximum penalties for contraventions of competition law prohibitions in the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) and offence and civil penalty provisions in the Australian Consumer Law have now markedly increased following the Treasury Laws Amendment (More Competition, Better Prices) Act 2022 (Cth) having received the Royal Assent. Of particular note, the maximum penalty for […]

Date set for ‘unfair contract terms’ to be rendered unlawful: Time to act

Businesses now have less than 12 months to cease using unfair contract terms in their standard form consumer contracts and small business contracts, now that the Treasury Laws Amendment (More Competition, Better Prices) Act 2022 (Cth) has received the Royal Assent. Whereas unfair contract terms can presently be rendered void and unenforceable, the use of unfair […]

New wave of litigation expected to hit Australia’s eroding shoreline

Last week, the Federal Court of Australia embarked on what is predicted to be a landmark decision, in the matter of AGL v Greenpeace Australia Pacific (Greenpeace). The case involves allegations by AGL that Greenpeace infringed its trademark rights and copyright when it featured AGL’s logo in a recent ad campaign, designed to pressure the […]

ASIC provides ‘no action’ relief for conducting virtual meetings and delayed AGMs

After the Federal Government’s proposed legislation to extend the temporary relief for corporations to conduct virtual meetings stalled in the Parliament, we speculated in our recent update as to whether ASIC would issue a ‘no action’ position, electing not to take regulatory action against companies conducting virtual meetings despite requirements to do so in the […]

The penalty for a cause marketing misstep: Oscar Wylee update

The market for socially-conscious consumers who are looking to use their buying power ethically and in support of socially responsible causes is growing rapidly. This presents opportunities for businesses to engage with their customers in new ways. However, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is well aware and is looking closely at potentially misleading […]

New whistleblower laws: ASIC consults on whistleblower policy requirements

We recently published a comprehensive guide to the new obligations for employers and the expanded protections for whistleblowers, under Australia’s revised corporate whistleblowing regime. That regime commenced operation on 1 July 2019 and creates a significant compliance burden for all companies, including the requirement for some companies to have a whistleblower policy. Who must […]

What you need to know about the new portable long service leave for cleaning, security and community services workers in Victoria

On 4 September 2018, the Victorian Government passed the Long Service Benefits Portability Bill 2018. The Long Service Benefits Portability Act 2018 (Vic) (LSBP Act) will come into effect on 1 July 2019, unless proclaimed earlier by the Government. Why has the legislation been introduced? The LSBP Act has been introduced to enable Victorian […]

Royal Commission to be established to look at Australia’s aged care sector – what might providers expect?

In a joint statement with the Health Minister Greg Hunt and the Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the Government has made a decision to establish a Royal Commission into the Aged Care Sector. The announcement recognised that there are ‘thousands of extraordinary operators, facilities, care providers, nursing and other […]