Insights

Treasury’s proposed reforms will make cancelling subscriptions as simple as sign-up, reshaping how businesses engage with consumers. Read on to understand what your business can do to prepare.

In Habermann v Cook Shire Council, Justice Henry of the Supreme Court of Queensland found that an employer’s duty of care to its employees extends to the conduct of third parties where that conduct poses a foreseeable risk of psychiatric injury to an employee. This includes the publication of defamatory statements about the employee.

With most startups looking to manage cash flow while still offering competitive remuneration, an employee share option plan (ESOP) offers startups a method for attracting and retaining employees and other personnel by providing them with equity.

On 5 September 2025, the Federal Court of Australia handed down its long-awaited decision in Fair Work Ombudsman v Woolworths Group Limited; Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd [2025] FCA 1092. The decision primarily considers whether contractual set off clauses for salaried employees can be used to offset above-award payments in one period against any shortfall arising in another period.

If leave is granted for the application to proceed, and particularly if a judgment is awarded in the company’s favour, the potential effects on gambling industry participants (including directors and officers of those participants) are significant. This potential dual exposure arising from both regulatory enforcement and shareholder-led recovery actions materially elevates the risk environment for directors and senior officers of gambling organisations.

In what may be a landmark case in Australian privacy law, Sam Groth, the deputy leader of the Victorian Liberal Party and former tennis star, and his wife Brittany Groth have commenced legal proceedings against the Herald Sun, its editor and a reporter alleging, alongside defamation, a serious invasion of privacy.

On 28 August 2025, the Labor Government’s Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Penalty and Overtime Rates) Bill 2025 (Penalty Rates Legislation) passed both Houses of Parliament and has now received Royal Assent.

On 30 June 2025, the ACCC launched Federal Court proceedings against Edgewell Personal Care Australia Pty Ltd and its US parent company alleging that more than 90 of its Banana Boat and Hawaiian Tropic sunscreens were falsely marketed as “reef friendly”.

Discount pricing and promotions are a great tool for attracting new customers and boosting sales – but they’re a double-edged sword. If you get them wrong, you could face serious legal consequences.

Sustainability is no longer just a supply chain issue – it’s a legal one. As businesses across Australia accelerate toward net zero, collaboration on emissions reduction, waste management, recycling and circular supply chains is becoming essential, and legally complex from a competition law point of view.