Special

The Law Council says asserting legal professional privilege is not "inherently scandalous", ahead of a parliamentary hearing on KPMG's sharing ofclient information, at which law firms Allens and Ashurst are expected to stay mum.

The preferred bidder for the Liberty Bell Bay smelter in Tasmania has withdrawn from the process, less than a month after its involvement was announced. 

KPMG has been referred to the national corruption watchdog, with Greens Senator Barbara Pocock calling the federal government's three-month pause on new contracts with the auditor a “slap on the wrist with a stick of limp celery”.

A NSW Supreme Court judge looking to bring class actions back to the state says legislation that would allow common fund orders at an early stage of proceedings was a "no-brainer".

Western Australia's government is set to introduce legislation for the establishment of an independent watchdog to deal with complaints about the state's judges and magistrates.

A judge's public shaming of colleagues for delays in judgment delivery was an "extraordinary intervention" that risked undermining confidence in the judiciary, an expert warns, as the federal Attorney-General says a judicial commission remains under consideration.

The Albanese government has appointed a senior executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience to take the reins as the first chief executive officer of the new national EPA, a cornerstone of the government's recent environmental law reforms. 

Woodside Energy has exercised its pre-remption rights to block Inpex's acquitision of PetroChina's interest in the Browse Basin gas joint venture off Western Australia's coast.

The forced divestiture of Dexus' stake in airport operator APAC will proceed, after a court on Friday discharged injunctions temporarily blocking the sale amid a dispute over the disclosure of confidential information.

Power plant investor Sev.en has filed an urgent application for access to the financials of Millmerran Power Station as it looks to sell its stake in the energy infrastructure asset, saying it may have claims of misleading conduct.