Our Legal update publications may not follow sequential order due to the archiving of superseded versions. Please note, Legal updates have replaced our Express law publication.
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| Date | Details |
Issue
|
|---|---|---|
| June 2025 | Ravbar & Anor v Commonwealth of Australia & Ors [2025] HCA 25 | 331 |
| June 2025 | Cyber risk model clauses | 330 |
| May 2025 | Babet and Anor v Commonwealth of Australia; Palmer v Commonwealth of Australia [2025] HCA 21 | 329 |
| May 2025 | Australian Securities and Investments Commission v SunshineLoans Pty Ltd [2025] FCAFC 32 | 328 |
| April 2025 | Artificial Intelligence (AI) model clauses | 327 |
| December 2024 | Bird v DP (a pseudonym) [2024] HCA 41 | 326 |
| September 2024 | First tranche of privacy reforms tabled in Parliament | 325 |
| August 2024 | Electoral Commissioner of the Australian Electoral Commission v Laming [2024] FCAFC 109 | 324 |
| July 2024 | Key changes – Commonwealth Procurement Rules 2024 | 323 |
| June 2024 | Key changes – Lands Acquisition Delegation 2024 | 322 |
| May 2024 | Prosecution of Commonwealth bodies: High Court holds Director of National Parks can be liable for a Northern Territory offence | 321 |
| December 2023 | Permanent stays: High Court explains standard of appellate review and the relevance of loss of evidence in historical child abuse claims | 320 |
| December 2023 | High Court finds in favour of broad extraterritorial operation of unfair contract terms regime in the Australian Consumer Law | 319 |
| September 2023 | High Court rejects application of parliamentary privilege to a report prepared by a statutory agency for its supervisory parliamentary committee | 318 |
| September 2023 | Higher penalties possible for corporate offending | 317 |
| August 2023 | Public Interest Disclosure Act is subject to Parliamentary Privileges Act | 316 |
| June 2023 | Reforms to the Safeguard Mechanism commencing 1 July 2023 | 315 |
| June 2023 | Guidance on briefing expert witnesses – the recent decision in New Aim v Leung | 314 |
| February 2023 | Privacy Act Review Report released | 313 |
| January 2023 | Increase to the Public Works Committee medium works threshold | 312 |
| December 2022 | Repeal of the Building Code 2016 | 311 |
| November 2022 | Amendments to Privacy Act to increase penalties for privacy breaches, enhance powers of OAIC | 310 |
| October 2022 | APSC publishes Public Sector Interim Workplace Arrangements 2022 (Interim Arrangements) | 309 |
| August 2022 | Updates to the Building Code 2016 | 308 |
| April 2022 | Australian Building and Construction Commissioner v Pattinson [2022] HCA 13 | 307 |
| April 2022 | Australia’s autonomous sanctions regime | 306 |
| February 2022 | Federal Court rejects Facebook appeal, finds that Privacy Act may apply to companies with no physical presence in Australia | 305 |
| December 2021 | Tribunal decision finds ‘as required by law’ clause in contract does not displace operation of breach of confidence exemption in FOI Act | 304 |
| December 2021 | Federal Court confirms that Harman obligation does not constrain the use of subpoenaed documents in the exercise of statutory powers and duties | 303 |
| December 2021 | Fair Work Commission Full Bench finds vaccine mandate policy unreasonable due to failure to effectively consult | 302 |
| November 2021 | Land Acquisition Framework published by Department of Finance | 301 |
| September 2021 | The Voller High Court defamation decision – some implications | 299 |
| August 2021 | WorkPac Pty Ltd v Rossato [2021] HCA 23 | 297 |
| May 2021 | ACCC v Telstra [2021] FCA 502 | 296 |
| March 2021 | ACCC v Quantum Housing Group Pty Ltd [2021] FCAFC 40 | 295 |
| February 2021 | CUB Australia Holding v Commissioner of Taxation [2021] FCA 43 | 294 |
| December 2020 | Data Availability and Transparency Bill 2020 | 293 |
| December 2020 | Foreign investment reforms: passing of Act introduces new national security test | 292 |
| November 2020 | Chief Executive Officer, Services Australia and Justin Warren [2020] AATA 4557 | 291 |
| August 2020 | Plaintiff M83A/2019 v Morrison (No 2) [2020] FCA 1198 | 290 |
| August 2020 | Mondelez v Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union Known as the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU); Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations v AMWU [2020] HCA 29 | 289 |
| May 2020 | Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia & Ors v Qantas Airways Limited [2020] FCA 656 | 288 |
| April 2020 | Commonwealth of Australia v Helicopter Resources Pty Ltd [2020] HCA 16 | 287 |
| April 2020 | Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) v Kinghorn; Kinghorn v Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) [2020] NSWCCA 48 | 286 |
| February 2020 | Aboriginal Australians are not within the reach of the ‘aliens’ power conferred by s 51(xix) of the Constitution: Love v Commonwealth; Thoms v Commonwealth [2020] HCA | 285 |
| January 2020 | ASIC v Helou [2019] FCA 1634 | 284 |
| November 2019 | HT v R [2019] HCA 40: High Court finds 'secret' evidence a step too far | 283 |
| November 2019 | Western Union Business Solutions (Australia) Pty Ltd v Robinson [2019] FCAFC 181 | 282 |
| October 2019 | 'Proportionality' in civil penalty cases – important developments | 281 |
| August 2019 | High Court confirms legal professional privilege a 'shield' not a 'sword' | 280 |
| August 2019 | Comcare v Banerji [2019] HCA 23 | 279 |
| June 2019 | Commonwealth of Australia not liable for economic loss arising from its administration of the Home Insulation Program | 278 |
| May 2019 | Keyzer v La Trobe University [2019] FCA 646 | 277 |
| December 2018 | Federal Court holds dismissal of an ill employee breached the Fair Work Act 2009 | 275 |
| November 2018 | AIT18 v Australian Information Commissioner [2018] FCAFC 192 | 274 |
| October 2018 | The Government Procurement (Judicial Review) Act 2018 (Cth) | 273 |
| October 2018 | John Nemcic v Australian Electoral Commission [2018] FWC 5645 | 272 |
| September 2018 | Update: special leave refused in relation to penalty privilege | 271 |
| May 2018 | High Court confirms that State tribunals cannot exercise judicial power in federal matters | 270 |
| April 2018 | Full Federal Court finds the Harman obligation does not constrain statutory power | 268 |
| March 2018 | Tribunal rules on FOI access to text messages | 267 |
| February 2018 | Penalty privilege is not available in a federal administrative context unless it is applied by statute: apparent tension in High Court authority resolved | 265 |
| February 2018 | High Court finds Federal Court has power to make a personal payment order against a contravening union official under the Fair Work Act 2009 | 264 |
| January 2018 | Commonwealth Government Business Enterprises – Governance and Oversight Guidelines | 263 |
| September 2017 | Full Federal Court clarifies when a psychological condition is an 'injury' or 'disease' under the SRC Act and how decisions ceasing entitlement to workers compensation can be approached | 261 |
| June 2017 | Whitebox proceeding has potential significance for Commonwealth civil regulators | 259 |
| June 2017 | The High Court considers 'market' for the purposes of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and when it is 'in Australia' | 258 |
| May 2017 | A current issue arising in ASIC v Whitebox (NSD383 of 2016) (Whitebox), with potential significance for other civil regulatory proceedings, has now been listed for separate hearing before the Full Court of the Federal Court on 8 June 2017 | 256 |
| May 2017 | The Full Court of the Federal Court clarifies the causal connection between 'administrative action' and a disease that is necessary to potentially exclude liability under the SRC Act | 255 |
| January 2017 | Full Federal Court hands down decision on definition of 'personal information' | 253 |
| November 2016 | The High Court clarifies the causal connection between 'administrative action' and a disease that is necessary to potentially exclude liability under the SRC Act | 251 |
| October 2016 | Administrative Appeals Tribunal awards $8,000 in compensation for interference with privacy | 250 |
| May 2016 | Release from the 'implied undertaking' for the purpose of a criminal investigation | 247 |
| March 2016 | Full Federal Court confirms 'legal unreasonableness' principles | 245 |
| March 2016 | Acts and Instruments (Framework Reform) Act 2015 to commence on 5 March | 244 |
| December 2015 | Tribunal rules on disclosure of incoming government brief | 243 |
| December 2015 | High Court finds that Barbaro does not apply to civil penalty proceedings | 241 |
| September 2015 | First decision on who is an 'officer' under the model work health and safety legislation | 238 |
| August 2015 | Full Federal Court clarifies nature and scope of appeals on a 'question of law' | 237 |
| July 2015 | High Court upholds power to order a corporation facing contempt proceedings to discover documents that may tend to implicate it in the contempt alleged | 236 |
| June 2015 | High Court rules on apprehended bias | 235 |
| May 2015 | Privacy determination – need to scrutinise law enforcement requests before disclosing personal information | 234 |
| May 2015 | Metadata is 'personal information' under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) | 232 |
| May 2015 | Parliament passes the Tribunals Amalgamation Bill 2015 | 231 |
| March 2015 | High Court rules on 'Royal prank phone call' case | 230 |
| December 2014 | Emissions Reduction Fund ready to commence | 227 |
| September 2014 | Recent decision indicates likely compensation range for breach of privacy | 225 |
| September 2014 | Serious invasions of privacy in the digital era: ALRC tables final report | 224 |
| September 2014 | Implied terms of mutual trust and confidence and good faith in employment contracts: what do they mean for Commonwealth agencies? | 223 |
| August 2014 | Toyota Motor Corporation Australia Ltd v Marmara | 221 |
| July 2014 | First decision on termination of employment for 'loss of an essential qualification' – Defence defends requirement to maintain a security clearance | 220 |
| June 2014 | High Court upholds validity of designation of Papua New Guinea as regional processing country | 219 |
| June 2014 | Bills to facilitate 1 July 2014 commencement of the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability legislative framework pass through Parliament | 218 |
| June 2014 | High Court holds legislation authorising expenditure for the National School Chaplaincy and Student Welfare Program to be invalid | 217 |
| May 2014 | High Court upholds the validity of 'Henry VIII' regulation affecting an accrued right to compensation | 216 |
| May 2014 | Submissions on penalty post Barbaro – update for civil regulators | 215 |
| April 2014 | Criminal property forfeiture scheme valid – no acquisition of property on unjust terms | 214 |
| April 2014 | High Court decision clarifies the test for extinguishment of native title | 213 |
| April 2014 | Fair Work Commission decisions provide insight on validity of 'no extra claims' clauses in enterprise agreements and notices of employment representation rights | 212 |
| April 2014 | High Court clarifies the circumstances in which words may be read into a statute | 211 |
| March 2014 | Recent decision revisits approach to release of vocational assessment information of successful job applicant | 210 |
| March 2014 | Submissions on penalty ranges – High Court's view and implications for civil regulators | 209 |
| December 2013 | The High Court declares invalid NSW laws restricting political donations and electoral expenditure | 207 |
| December 2013 | New anti-bullying measures to commence on 1 January 2014 | 206 |
| December 2013 | Bill introduces major reform of national energy regulatory system | 205 |
| November 2013 | Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 commences on 15 January 2014 | 204 |
| November 2013 | New Federal Court guide to the Individual Docket System | 202 |
| November 2013 | High Court guidance on documents produced by mistake | 201 |
| November 2013 | High Court discusses principles relating to a duty to give reasons and certiorari | 200 |
| November 2013 | High Court refines notion of injury suffered 'in the course of employment' | 199 |
| August 2013 | The High Court holds that a native title right that allows fishing for commercial purposes is not extinguished by State and Commonwealth legislation prohibiting commercial fishing without a licence | 198 |
| August 2013 | High Court upholds constitutional validity of the mining tax | 197 |
| July 2013 | Election 2013: caretaker conventions | 195 |
| July 2013 | Sex Discrimination Act amended to cover sexual orientation, gender identity, intersex status and relationship status | 193 |
| June 2013 | New anti-bullying measures and other amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 | 192 |
| June 2013 | Bill introduces new governance, performance and accountability framework for Commonwealth bodies | 191 |
| May 2013 | Launch of Opinions of the Attorneys-General of the Commonwealth of Australia Volume 3, 1923–45, and website of Legal Opinions 1901–45 | 189 |
| May 2013 | Recent decision clarifies legal professional privilege for in-house lawyers | 188 |
| May 2013 | Changes to the operation of Division 81 of the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 | 187 |
| May 2013 | High Court considers unreasonableness ground of judicial review of administrative decisions | 186 |
| May 2013 | Exposure draft proposal to amend the Constitution released | 185 |
| March 2013 | Victorian Court of Appeal changes approach to civil penalties by consent | 183 |
| February 2013 | High Court finds Google not responsible for misleading 'sponsored links' | 182 |
| February 2013 | Amendments to the Public Service Act 1999 | 181 |
| January 2013 | Commonwealth win in the Victorian alpine grazing case | 179 |
| December 2012 | ACT Court of Appeal confirms police responsibilities for prevention of crime are critical to determining whether a duty of care is owed | 178 |
| December 2012 | Freedom of information requests to the Official Secretary to the Governor-General | 177 |
| November 2012 | Full Federal Court decision on public interest immunity | 174 |
| November 2012 | Supreme Court decision on the mistaken release of material determined to be exempt under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 | 173 |
| October 2012 | High Court delivers its reasons in the challenges to the Tobacco Plain Packaging Act | 171 |
| October 2012 | High Court decides that regulations are inconsistent with the Migration Act 1958 | 170 |
| October 2012 | Federal Court decision on unwanted door knocking | 167 |
| September 2012 | Implied term of mutual trust and confidence in employment contracts: what does it mean for Commonwealth agencies? | 166 |
| September 2012 | High Court decision clarifies adverse action provisions in the Fair Work Act 2009 | 165 |
| September 2012 | High Court decision on third party access under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 | 164 |
| September 2012 | Full Federal Court decision on loss or damage in the context of civil penalty matters | 162 |
| September 2012 | High Court decision on procedural fairness | 161 |
| September 2012 | Federal Court decision on Federal Magistrates' superannuation entitlements | 160 |
| August 2012 | Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights tables first report | 159 |
| August 2012 | High Court upholds Tobacco Plain Packaging Act | 158 |
| June 2012 | National Energy Retail Law to commence on 1 July 2012 | 156 |
| June 2012 | Legislation enacted today in response to High Court's decision in Williams v Commonwealth | 155 |
| May 2012 | Proposed amendments to the Privacy Act 1988 | 153 |
| May 2012 | High Court decision on the duties of corporate officers | 151 |
| May 2012 | Federal Court decision on the service of documents by post | 150 |
| April 2012 | Copyright inquiry draft terms of reference released for public comment | 149 |
| April 2012 | Taking genuine steps statements seriously | 147 |
| March 2012 | Proposed new oversight, review and conduct provisions for the Australian Public Service | 145 |
| February 2012 | Public holidays in South Australia | 144 |
| January 2012 | New work health and safety laws now in operation | 142 |