Inquiries, Investigations and Prosecutions

Thought Leadership

Regulatory risk for health practitioners: Tasmania in focus

By: Isaac Buckland and Chris Spain Executive Summary Recent decisions from the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Tribunal) reflect a tightening regulatory position, particularly in relation to professional boundaries, the power imbalance between health practitioners and other individuals, and cumulative governance failures. The Tribunal has shown limited tolerance for boundary drift, treating supervisory, educational and […]

By : Joshua Weiler Mar 24, 2026 Comments Off

Case Alerts

ASIC’s case against the directors of Star Entertainment: directors’ duties through a modern lens

By: Yen Seah and Bella Marazita ASIC v Bekier (Liability Judgment) [2026] FCA 196 If you read nothing else, read this: The Federal Court’s 500-page liability judgment in ASIC v Bekier delivers a clear message for directors and officers: passive oversight is not enough. Executives must escalate serious risks – failing to act on red flags can breach […]

By : Joshua Weiler Mar 17, 2026 Comments Off

Case Alerts

Queensland Court of Appeal clarifies limits of vicarious liability for ancillary school staff

By: Paul Spezza, Cassandra Wills, Dominique Fordyce, Ashley Shuttleworth and Ellen Bobbermien BYM v The Corporation of the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane trading as Brisbane Catholic Education [2026] QCA 6 At a glance The Court of Appeal of Queensland has provided further clarification on when an employer will be vicariously liable […]

By : Joshua Weiler Feb 4, 2026 Comments Off

Thought Leadership

Federal or State? Understanding the Powers and Limits of Royal Commissions

By: Georgie Austin, Clare McNamara and Zoe Jones At a glance On 8 January 2026, the Governor-General issued draft Letters Patent establishing a Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. The Commission has been tasked with addressing issues set out in its Terms of Reference, which are wide-ranging and encompass not only the terror event itself, […]

By : Joshua Weiler Jan 22, 2026 Comments Off

WK News

Wotton Kearney strengthens Professional & Financial Risks team with appointment of senior insurance law expert

Wotton Kearney continues to expand its Professional & Financial Risks offering with the appointment of Craig Terrill as Partner in our Melbourne office. Craig is a leading insurance law specialist with a career spanning Australia and the UK, including senior roles at DLA Piper and Squire & Co London. He brings deep expertise across professional […]

By : Joshua Weiler Oct 15, 2025 Comments Off

WK News

Wotton Kearney expands Canberra team further with addition of senior government employment law expert

Wotton Kearney continues to build momentum in its government team with the appointment of Special Counsel, Kirsty Easdale, a seasoned employment and industrial relations expert with more than a decade of experience advising Commonwealth government agencies. Kirsty joins the firm from MinterEllison, bringing significant expertise in complex employment law, industrial relations strategy, discrimination, and work […]

By : Joshua Weiler Aug 7, 2025 Comments Off

WK News

Wotton Kearney strengthens government practice expertise with appointment of John McPherson

Wotton Kearney announces the appointment of experienced government litigator John McPherson as Special Counsel in its Canberra office, reinforcing the firm’s expanding national government practice. With over 15 years advising Commonwealth agencies and commercial clients, John joins the firm following extensive experience at Clayton Utz and MinterEllison, bringing deep expertise in public law, regulatory disputes, […]

By : Joshua Weiler Jul 31, 2025 Comments Off

Articles, Case Alerts

Are prior circumstances a thing of the past?

By: Thomas Cavanagh and Gina Groskops Allianz Australia Insurance Limited v Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW) [2025] FCAFC 8 At a glance The Full Federal Court has overturned the decision of Justice Lee1 and confirmed that Allianz Australia Insurance Limited (Allianz) was entitled to decline indemnity to Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (NSW) (UCPT) for […]

By : Joshua Weiler Feb 27, 2025 Comments Off

Articles

High Court rejects extending vicarious liability beyond employment

By: Richard Leder OAM, Sean O’Connor, Rhyse Collins and Deniz Coskundag Bird v DP [2024] HCA 41 | View previous article summarising the decision At a glance The High Court unanimously found that the Diocese of Ballarat was not vicariously liable for the tortious conduct of one of its priests against the respondent when he […]

By : Joshua Weiler Nov 21, 2024 Comments Off

Case Alerts

Breaking: Historic decision handed down by the High Court of Australia

At a glance This morning the High Court of Australia handed down three groundbreaking judgments in the institutional abuse space – Bird v DP, RC v Salvation Army (WA) Property Trust and Willmot v State of QLD. These decisions will have a significant impact on the ability of abuse survivors to recover damages and will […]

By : Joshua Weiler Nov 13, 2024 Comments Off

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