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A new criminal offence against companies that fail to address modern slavery by suppliers is on the table as part of reforms by the Albanese government to strengthen forced labour laws.

Class action settlements are off to a sluggish start in 2026, with only two mega-settlements of $100 million or more reached and the country's leading plaintiff law firm yet to get on the board.

In announcing the establishment of a federal AI office, prime minister Anthony Albanese on Wednesday warned artificial intelligence companies that Australia's creative work was not "up for grabs".

New national standards for artificial intelligence will set out "clear rules" for large data centres, prime minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday, including where they are built and how they are powered.

Car makers Tesla and Hyundai have argued NSW's law imposing a road-user charge on electric vehicles may be invalid following a High Court decision which struck down Victoria's EV tax as an invalid excise, while urging the state government not to introduce any new road charges.

The Boroondara City Council has sued over a James Packer-backed residential development slated for construction in the heart of Kew Junction, alleging the planning minister wrongly accepted that adjoining land could be utilised in the development. 

The Queensland government is facing a possible union challenge to a proposed new construction code, with the union voicing concerns about how the state rules would interact with federal obligations.

Victorian businesses are seeing red over the state government's proposed law to allow employees to work from home two days a week and make employers cover the reasonable costs of the arrangement.

Former One Nation politician Mark Latham wants the High Court to overturn a ruling that found he defamed independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich in a homophobic tweet and owes $140,000 in damages, saying the Full Court erred in construing the threshold for serious harm.

A new ban on unfair trading practices could significantly broaden the scope of consumer class actions, with experts predicting plaintiff firms will use the reforms to pursue claims over conduct that has until now fallen outside the reach of misleading or deceptive conduct laws.