Policy and Regulation

A judge has referred a solicitor to the legal watchdog after he ceased to act without giving the required notice to his client, saying he appeared to have been “dumped” on the eve of a directions hearing.

The ACCC has issued guidance on the transition to its new mandatory merger control regime, warning businesses to make requests for informal reviews under the old regime soon or risk running out of time.

Victoria will create a new building watchdog with “tough new enforcement powers to fix dodgy work”, including taking disciplinary action against builders and ordering that defects be rectified.

A top environmental lawyer has joined Jones Day as a partner in the firm's government regulation practice.

A newly created NSW authority tasked with speeding housing developments has selected eleven developments promising 6,400 new homes for fast-track approval.

The competition regulator will sign off on a five-year cooperation agreement between Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways, saying it would give consumers more choice on international flights.

The Albanaese government has announced it will ban foreign investors from buying established homes for two years and also take steps to crack down on land banking.

The Albanese government has passed a new law aimed at preventing a repeat of the Robodebt scandal, making it an offence for federal agency heads to impede an investigation by the Commonwealth watchdog. 

New rules requiring strata managers to disclose conflicts of interests and kickbacks to owners have come into effect in New South Wales.

The Senate has waved through a component of the Albanese government's plans to support the green energy transition, approving tax credits for clean energy and critical minerals production.