Public law

3M has told a judge that a key issue in the Commonwealth’s $2 billion case over PFAS contamination will be whether class action settlements can mitigate its limitations defence to a misleading and deceptive conduct claim. 

Chevron has defended the offshore petroleum regulator's approval of activities related to its Gorgon gas development, saying its environmental plan contained an "extensive" assessment of greenhouse gas emissions. 

The government has hit back at a High Court case by two high school students alleging its under-16s social media ban infringes on the implied freedom of political communication, arguing that any restriction is justified. 

A judge has held that the former environment minister's finding that part of the McPhillamy's gold mine was heritage protected was invalid. 

A judge has approved a $550 million settlement in a class action over the Morrison government’s Robodebt scheme but has halved a funder’s payout to $35 million, despite arguments that it was unprecedented to award a single digit percentage commission. 

The funder that backed a class action over the Morrison government’s Robodebt scheme, which settled for a record $548.5 million, is seeking a $71 million commission, but a contradictor has told the court a $23 million cut will suffice.

The CEO of Lendlease has confirmed a whistleblower's claim that a KPMG audit partner accessed confidential Lendlease board papers which were then shared with a team pursuing an audit tender with Westpac.

Wotton Kearney has entered into a partnership with legal services provider SynLaw that will allow Commonwealth agencies to brief the firm’s lawyers on public law matters alongside SynLaw. 

A barrister with significant experience in privacy matters who represented Optus in proceedings over a 2022 data breach has been appointed to the NSW Supreme Court. 

Three partners have joined Mills Oakley, expanding the law firm's government, taxation and workplace relations teams.