Recent legislative and research developments in the silicosis space

There have been two significant developments in the silicosis space this week. On Wednesday, Parliament tabled the National Occupational Respiratory Disease Registry Bill 2023. If passed, the legislation will establish a national register for recording all incidents of occupational dust disease. The initiative is based on the recommendation of the National Dust Disease Taskforce and […]

Contempt of court – when true crime podcasts and docuseries break the law

In recent years, documentary series like Netflix’s Making a Murderer and podcasts such as The Teacher’s Pet have proved wildly popular, with tens of millions of users streaming each worldwide. However, online publications like these are treated as being continuously published so they carry a higher risk of attracting contempt of court charges than printed […]

County Court decision overturns long-standing Medical Panel process

On 1 May 2023, the Victorian County Court handed down its judgment in the Rosata matter. The decision has taken respondents in Victoria by surprise and may overturn a process that has been bedded down over the last 20 years. In Rosata, the County Court held that the Medical Panel can only make one determination […]

Resource hub: Developments and updates in the building and construction industry

Australia is seeing sweeping state-based legislative reform intended to regain public confidence in the building and construction industry. For example, in NSW, the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 will have a significant effect on establishing the liability of design and building practitioners within the construction industry and how they are insured. In contrast, the […]

ASIC issues first unfair contract term proceeding against an insurer

On 4 April 2023, ASIC commenced its first proceeding against an insurer under the unfair contract terms regime. The term in question is contained in a home and contents insurance contract and concerns an obligation on the insured to notify the insurer if “anything changes about your home or contents”. The allegedly unfair contract term […]

Celebrating 10 years of impact: 2012-2022

At W+K we are committed to making a difference in people’s lives through our pro bono and responsible business program – Community Footprint. In this report, we reflect on 10 years of Community Footprint and celebrate the positive impacts we have made. These include raising more than half a million dollars for our deserving charity […]

The IT professionals claims landscape in 2023

Claims against IT professionals following cyber events continue to be on the rise. Businesses including managed services providers (MSPs) and cloud services providers (CSPs) that are responsible for hosting data on behalf of their clients continue to be common targets for cyber criminals. While MSPs and CSPs are not always the direct victims of a […]

Russia sanctions – the implications for marine insurers

Coinciding with the one-year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Australian Government announced further sanctions against Russia. There are now over 100 sanctioned persons and entities on the Australian list and a raft of other sanctions in place around the world. Organisations doing business across jurisdictions need to undertake careful due diligence with their […]

ASIC’s first greenwashing case ups the ante on ESG issues

ASIC has issued its first greenwashing proceeding marking a new stage in its greenwashing enforcement activity. The proceeding is issued against Mercer Superannuation (Australia) Limited regarding allegedly misleading statements it has made about the sustainable nature of some of its superannuation investment options. This proceeding highlights the breadth of ESG risk as one that extends […]

Federal, state and territory ministers unanimously agree to consider banning engineered stone

On 28 February, federal, state and territory ministers unanimously agreed to consider banning engineered stone in a meeting led by Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke. Their decision follows recent harrowing media coverage about the silicosis tragedy facing many Australian workers. It’s not a new story, but one gaining considerable traction in the public interest and […]