When to hit record – the do’s and don’ts of recording private conversations

By: Richard Leder, Georgie Austin, Blake Pappas and Jessica Bennett At a glance Across Australia, various state and territory laws govern the recording of private conversations and the communication and publishing of such recordings. Before publishing or sharing any recordings, it is crucial to be aware that doing so may not only work against your […]

Current landscape of cyber sanctions in Australia – October 2024

By: Kieran Doyle, Nicole Gabryk, Rakhee Dullabh and Rebecca Wilson At a glance In early October 2024, Australia imposed sanctions on three Russian nationals linked to the Evil Corp cybercrime group. The Cyber Security Bill 2024 aims to strengthen Australia’s defences against ransomware and cyber threats. Businesses must seek legal guidance to ensure compliance with […]

Continued modernisation of New Zealand insurance law

By: Peter Leman and Michael Cavanaugh The Contracts of Insurance Bill continues its progress. We previously reported on its introduction to Parliament here. Most recently, the Select Committee has considered public submissions and produced its report, and the Bill began its second reading. At its second reading last week, the Government commended to the House the Bill with changes […]

Stage 2 Defamation Reforms – the need for uniformity across the defamation landscape

By: Richard Leder, Georgie Austin, Blake Pappas, Zoe Burchill and Isabella Antonino At a glance The Stage 2 Defamation Reforms, building on Australia’s national Model Defamation Provisions, focus on addressing defamation in digital contexts and protecting those reporting criminal conduct. Key aspects of the Stage 2 reforms include: Part A amendments: Targeting defamatory content published […]

CrowdStrike and contractual limitation clauses

By: Stephen Morrissey, Nick Martin and Christy Mellifont At a glance After a software update by cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike caused a global outage, legal experts in the US have speculated the company is protected from paying customers’ losses due to a contractual limitation of liability clause in its standard terms and conditions. In this article, […]

Modernising Australia’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime

By: Amanda Beattie, Jonathon Ferraro and Natasha Chand Last week the Commonwealth Attorney-General tabled a bill into Parliament to amend the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Act) and repeal the Financial Transaction Reports Act 1998 (FTR Act). The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Bill 2024 (Bill) is the Government’s signal to criminals […]

Healthcare and artificial intelligence – a new regulatory landscape

By: Chris Spain and Lily Goldsmith At a glance There must always be human oversight when AI is used in healthcare. Practitioners need to have a sufficient understanding of how an AI tool functions, including its intended use, how it collects and stores information, and its risks and limitations. Practitioners must be transparent with patients […]

The latest on group costs orders

By: Amanda Beattie and Natasha Chand The first settlement involving a group costs order (GCO) was approved last week.¹ This marks the next stage in the GCO process, which commenced just over 4 years ago when the new provisions were introduced in Victoria. GCOs – a recap Under s 33ZDA of the Supreme Court Act 1986 […]

Understanding the right to disconnect and how it will affect your business

By: Sian Gilbert and Dexter Cabal At a glance From 26 August 2024, employees of organisations that employ 15 or more people will have a ‘right to disconnect’ outside of their normal working hours, unless their refusal is unreasonable. Employees of small business employers will have the right to disconnect from 26 August 2025. Whether an […]

Passenger protection a key focus of Australian Government ‘Aviation White Paper’

By: James Cooper and Merinda Stewart Yesterday, the Australian Government released its long-awaited Aviation White Paper – Towards 2050, setting out the Government’s plans for the aviation industry in Australia for the next two and a half decades, and building on its previous National Aviation Policy White Paper in 2009. We set out the key […]