Insights

In recent months, fuel shortages and trading disruptions stemming from geopolitical instability in the Middle East have placed increased pressure on Australian supply chains. Parliament has responded by introducing new laws under the Consumer Amendment (Responding to Exceptional Circumstances) Act 2026 which confer strictly prescribed emergency powers on the ACCC.

Mandatory industry codes are no longer confined to setting minimum standards within particular industries. They are increasingly being used as a form of sector-specific regulation, prescribed under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (CCA), enabling the government to intervene and impose enforceable conduct obligations and penalties where commercial practice and self-regulation are considered inadequate.

On 20 April 2026, the Fair Work Commission made the Road Transport Contractual Chain Order – Fuel Cost Recovery Order 2026 (RTCCO), which commenced on 21 April 2026. The RTCCO is an emergency order designed to ensure increased fuel costs are recovered through relevant road transport contractual chains, rather than being absorbed by transport providers, contractors or employee-like workers.

From 1 July 2026, SMS messages sent using an unregistered branded sender ID will no longer display the relevant brand name. Instead, they will be labelled “Unverified” and grouped with other unregistered messages, including those that may be associated with scam activity.

The Australian regulatory landscape for the online gambling sector is about to change significantly.

On 1 May 2026, the Online Casino Gambling Act 2026 (NZ) (Act) came into force. The Act establishes a new regulatory framework for online casino gambling in New Zealand.

From 1 July 2026, SMS messages sent using an unregistered branded sender ID will no longer display the relevant brand name. Instead, these messages will be labelled “Unverified” and grouped with other unregistered SMS messages, including potential scam messages.

On 26 March 2026, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) announced that it had issued infringement notices totalling $594,000 to three entities within the Mecca Group, an Australian beauty retailer, for failures to lodge audited financial statements with ASIC for the financial year ended 28 December 2024.

Whilst a spin-out from a university is an exciting opportunity for the founders, such transactions can be complex from a legal perspective, and involve multiple legal issues for the spin-out and its founders.

The Tranche 1 Bill is the first of a two-part Treasury-led reform to modernise Australia’s existing regulatory framework for payment service providers which is considered to have not kept pace with technology advancements and the disaggregation of functions in the payments industry.

Recent changes to directors’ personal information shown in ASIC extracts On 2 February 2026, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) announced that residential addresses would no longer appear on company extracts purchased through ASIC’s website.