Insights

Targeted amendments to Australia’s mandatory merger control regime have important consequences for companies considering acquisitions, minority investments and other strategic transactions.

Australia’s rules on post-employment restraints may be heading for a major reset and businesses that rely on non-competes, no-poach clauses or staff non-solicitation restraints should start preparing now.

Retail leasing reform is back on the agenda. For national retailers, hospitality operators and landlords, the question is practical: why should the same deal still need a different leasing rulebook in every state?

The ACCC’s increased use of infringement notices in 2026 shows that they are becoming a more prominent enforcement tool, with real reputational and compliance consequences.

Foreign investors who fail to comply with conditions attached to a FIRB approval may face substantial civil penalties, enforcement proceedings and costs and restrictions on dealing with their property.

For offshore investors, early FIRB planning can protect the timetable, reduce condition risk and strengthen the path to completion.

The proposed reforms build on the changes introduced by the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 (Cth), which enhanced the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner’s (OAIC) powers, introduced a statutory tort for serious invasions of privacy and established a Children’s Online Privacy Code.

In April 2026, the NSW Supreme Court dismissed an appeal of an adjudication determination in Romeciti Macquarie Pavillion Pty Ltd v Watpac Construction Pty Ltd [2026] NSWSC 404.

The Building (Approvals and Practitioners) Bill 2026 (Bill) proposes a major overhaul of New South Wales’ building approvals regime.

New South Wales’ adoption of the National Construction Code 2025 (NCC 2025) will introduce new building requirements from 1 May 2027, when it replaces the National Construction Code 2022 (NCC 2022).