Employment
ABC hit with $150K penalty for Antoinette Lattouf’s unfair dismissal
A judge has ordered the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to pay $150,000 for unfairly dismissing presenter Antoinette Lattouf because of her opposition to the Israeli military campaign in Gaza.
Competition & Consumer Protection
Optus fined $100M for ‘appalling’ sales tactics
A judge has ordered embattled Optus to pay a $100 million penalty for “appalling” contraventions, after the telco admitted that staff pressured customers into buying phones they could not afford.
Construction
CPB joint venture wins payment spat over Brisbane rail project
A joint venture launched to construct sections of Brisbane's new Cross River Rail station has successfully challenged an adjudicator’s order that it pay $2.7 million to a steel supplier.
Construction
Court OKs Central Element’s lux Bondi Beach residential development
The NSW Land and Environment court has approved developer Central Element's plans for its $100 million 'Lamrock Avenue' luxury residential development in Bondi Beach, following a conciliation conference with the local council.
Telecommunications
Optus appoints Kerry Schott to investigate Triple Zero failure
Optus has appointed former Sydney Water CEO and NBN Co director Kerry Schott to investigate a 13-hour Triple Zero outage linked to three deaths.
Employment
Super Retail Group settles whistleblowers’ bullying cases
Rebel Sport owner Super Retail Group has reached a settlement in a lawsuit by two former employees, just days after the retailer sacked its CEO.
Employment
Fair Work Commission finds Uber owes lost pay to deactivated driver
In a landmark decision, the Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission has awarded lost pay to an Uber driver who was unfairly deactivated from the ridesharing app for two months following a false complaint by passengers who assaulted him.
Intellectual Property
Finish maker can’t trademark dishwasher tablet shape
Finish maker Reckitt Benckiser has lost its bid to trademark the shape of its dishwashing capsule, with a delegate finding it was not a “wholly concocted” shape that can be distinguished from similar products by other brands.
ASIC
Court calls ASIC out for ‘kitchen sink’ approach to pleadings in Mawhinney case
A judge has taken ASIC to task for pleading its remitter case against Mayfair 101 Group director James Mawhinney in minute detail, but has rejected arguments the regulator ran the proceeding in an “oppressive and unmeritorious” way.
Insurance
ASIC takes RACQ to court alleging false comparison pricing
The corporate regulator has filed proceedings against RACQ, one of Queensland’s largest insurers, alleging it sent customers renewal documents with misleading comparison pricing.
