Employment
Qantas hit with $90M penalty for outsourcing ground crew during COVID-19
A judge has hit Qantas with a $90 million penalty for unlawfully outsourcing its ground crew staff during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the airline was “the wrong kind of sorry”.
Competition & Consumer Protection
Google to cop $55M penalty for anti-competitive agreements with Telstra, Optus
Google has agreed to pay a $55 million penalty for making anti-competitive agreements requiring Telstra and Optus to pre-install Google Search on Android devices they sold.
Privacy & Cybersecurity
Judge questions OAIC over 3-year delay in bringing Optus case
The judge overseeing three court proceedings against Optus over a 2022 data breach has questioned why it took the privacy regulator three years to file its case.
Class Actions
Court OKs $59M settlement in rate-rigging class action against banks
A judge has signed off on a $59 million settlement in a class action accusing five banks of foreign exchange rate-rigging, while bemoaning the failure of successive attorneys-general to advance reforms clarifying the court’s power to make class closure orders.
Competition & Consumer Protection
Mastercard says privilege shouldn’t be lost after junior lawyer’s ‘genuine mistake’
Mastercard says legal professional privilege remained over a document after a junior lawyer "inadvertently" sent it to the ACCC in 2020 while the credit card giant was trying to dissuade the regulator from continuing an investigation into alleged anti-competitive conduct.
Employment
ANZ trader seeks to delay start of trial after discovery dump
A former ANZ trader that sued the bank five years ago for allegedly sacking him for complaining about the bank's attempted manipulation of the bank bill swap rate wants the trial date pushed out after receiving thousands of documents from the bank.
Healthcare
Ashurst’s failure to register client’s $51M interest over Infinity pharmacies an ‘oversight’: court
A junior Ashurst lawyer's failure to register a drug wholesaler's $51 million security interest over a group of Infinity pharmacies was inadvertent, a judge has found in granting a bid to extend the deadline for registration.
Energy & Natural Resources
Magnis Energy misses deadline in ASIC’s battery plant disclosure case
Magnis Energy Technologies has missed the deadline to file its evidence in ASIC proceedings over allegedly misleading disclosures about its lithium ion battery plant, with a court hearing the company's new lawyers have not had a chance to brief counsel.
Legal Ethics
QCAT recommends ‘incompetent’ barrister be struck from roll
The tribunal has recommended that a barrister who practised without a certificate, failed to display competence in a client matter and did not comply with direct briefing rules be struck from roll.
Trials
Murray Darling authority slams class action’s ‘incoherent’ duty of care claim
The public body in charge of managing the Murray Darling’s water resources has slammed as "incoherent" a class action's claims that it owes a duty of care to protect farmers and irrigators against economic loss.
