On 29 November 2024, the Australian Parliament passed the long-awaited Treasury Laws Amendment (Responsible Buy Now Pay Later and Other Measures) Bill 2024 (Bill)....more
ASIC has recently published its findings following an investigation into the insurance industry’s level of compliance with internal dispute resolution (IDR) obligations. Report 802 Cause for complaint: Complaints handling in...more
Financial firms are required to maintain clear internal dispute resolution (IDR) processes to allow customers to seek redress where they are dissatisfied with the firm’s products or services. Access to fair, timely and...more
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) recently released proposed updates to Information Sheet 225 (INFO 225) and a corresponding consultation paper....more
Introduction - When directors and officers of reporting entities are assessing how to prepare for complying with the new sustainability reporting obligations, it is tempting to look to the Australian Securities and...more
Australian Update - Appointment of the Inaugural Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner - On 11 November 2023, the Attorney-General announced the appointment of Chris Evans as the inaugural Australian Anti-Slavery Commissioner...more
As Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to be adopted and used by Australian Financial Services (AFS) licensees broadly, it has become increasingly evident that many licensees’ deployment of AI falls short of their existing...more
On 25 September 2024, the Federal Court ordered a large superannuation trustee (Trustee) to pay the highest penalty imposed for greenwashing conduct yet–AU$12.9 million. This comes off the back of the Federal Court in early...more
On 29 October 2024, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) published REP 798 Beware the gap: Governance arrangements in the face of AI innovation. This report details ASIC's findings from a review of how...more
When assessing how to comply with the new reporting obligations, reporting entities should recognise the differences in the enforcement approach that ASIC will take in relation to mandatory climate reporting compared with the...more
The Australian federal government recently released its response to the independent review of Australia's amended continuous disclosure regime (the "Independent Review")....more
In Brief - The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) continue to be vigilant and seek significant penalties for alleged "greenwashing" (misleading...more
For years, artificial intelligence (AI) has been deployed in the networking industry to make evaluations and predictions about computer networks for the purpose of improving overall efficiency, performance, and security. ...more
Australian Update - Climate-Related Disclosures Legislation Passed - The Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Bill 2024 (Cth) passed Parliament on 9 September 2024 and received Royal...more
On 22 August 2024, the Senate passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Bill 2024 (the Bill), which requires certain organisations to make mandatory climate-related financial...more
ESG-related enforcement remains a top priority and focus for Australia's corporate regulators. Since our last update, there has been a steady stream of enforcement activity aimed at climate-related representations and...more
In this week’s edition, we discuss a drop in support for ESG shareholder proposals at one of the world’s largest asset managers; a decision by a U.S. federal court to strike down an anti-ESG investing rule in Missouri; and...more
The Development: On August 22, 2024, the Australian Senate passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Bill 2024 ("Bill")....more
Australian Update - Proposed Code of Practice to Reduce Modern Slavery Through Lending, Investment and Asset Management - The New South Wales (NSW) Anti-Slavery Commissioner (Commissioner) recently released its discussion...more
In Brief - Following reforms to the unfair contract terms (UCT) regime on 9 November 2023, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) are...more
Recognizing a need for clarity in evaluating patent eligibility under 35 U.S.C. § 101 for critical and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) innovations, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)...more
Recent legal and regulatory developments, including the joint release of APRA and ASIC guidance concerning the new Financial Accountability Regime, APRA's announcement that it will publish superannuation expense data to...more
Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” was one of the highest grossing music tours of all time with approximate proceeds exceeding US$1 billion. While this is a monumental feat, Taylor Swift also gained negative attention during the tour...more
On 27 March 2024, the Australian Government published the first reading draft of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Bill 2024 (New Bill), which superseded the previous exposure...more
AUSTRALIAN UPDATE - Updated Bill to Introduce Climate-Related Financial Reporting Regime - Background - The Australian Government released the first reading draft of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market...more