Legal update

Our Legal update publications may not follow sequential order due to the archiving of superseded versions. Please note, Legal updates have replaced our Express law publication.

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​Da​te Details​​
Issue​
October 2025 Changes to the Commonwealth Procurement Rules and other developments relevant to procurement 332
June 2025 Ravbar & Anor v Commonwealth of Australia & Ors [2025] HCA 25 331
June 2025 Cyber risk model clauses 330
May 2025 Babet and Anor v Commonwealth of Australia; Palmer v Commonwealth of Australia [2025] HCA 21 329
May 2025 Australian Securities and Investments Commission v SunshineLoans Pty Ltd [2025] FCAFC 32 328
April 2025 Artificial Intelligence (AI) model clauses 327
December 2024 Bird v DP (a pseudonym) [2024] HCA 41 326
September 2024 First tranche of privacy reforms tabled in Parliament 325
August 2024 Electoral Commissioner of the Australian Electoral Commission v Laming [2024] FCAFC 109 324
July 2024 Key changes – Commonwealth Procurement Rules 2024 323
June 2024 Key changes – Lands Acquisition Delegation 2024 322
May 2024 Prosecution of Commonwealth bodies: High Court holds Director of National Parks can be liable for a Northern Territory offence 321
December 2023 Permanent stays: High Court explains standard of appellate review and the relevance of loss of evidence in historical child abuse claims 320
December 2023 High Court finds in favour of broad extraterritorial operation of unfair contract terms regime in the Australian Consumer Law 319
September 2023 High Court rejects application of parliamentary privilege to a report prepared by a statutory agency for its supervisory parliamentary committee 318
September 2023 Higher penalties possible for corporate offending 317
August 2023 Public Interest Disclosure Act is subject to Parliamentary Privileges Act 316
​June 2023 Reforms to the Safeguard Mechanism commencing 1 July 2023 315
​June 2023 Guidance on briefing expert witnesses – the recent decision in New Aim v Leung 314
​February 2023 Privacy Act Review Report released 313
​January 2023 Increase to the Public Works Committee medium works threshold 312
​December 2022 Repeal of the Building Code 2016 311
​November 2022 Amendments to Privacy Act to increase penalties for privacy breaches, enhance powers of OAIC 310
​October 2022 APSC publishes Public Sector Interim Workplace Arrangements 2022 (Interim Arrangements) 309
​August 2022 Updates to the Building Code 2016 308
​April 2022 Australian Building and Construction Commissioner v Pattinson [2022] HCA 13 307
​April 2022 Australia’s autonomous sanctions regime 306
​February 2022 Federal Court rejects Facebook appeal, finds that Privacy Act may apply to companies with no physical presence in Australia 305
​December 2021 Tribunal decision finds ‘as required by law’ clause in contract does not displace operation of breach of confidence exemption in FOI Act 304
​December 2021 Federal Court confirms that Harman obligation does not constrain the use of subpoenaed documents in the exercise of statutory powers and duties 303
​December 2021 Fair Work Commission Full Bench finds vaccine mandate policy unreasonable due to failure to effectively consult 302
​November 2021 Land Acquisition Framework published by Department of Finance 301
​September 2021 The Voller High Court defamation decision – some implications 299
​August 2021 WorkPac Pty Ltd v Rossato [2021] HCA 23 297
​May 2021 ACCC v Telstra [2021] FCA 502 296
​March 2021 ACCC v Quantum Housing Group Pty Ltd [2021] FCAFC 40 295
​February 2021 CUB Australia Holding v Commissioner of Taxation [2021] FCA 43 294
​December 2020 Data Availability and Transparency Bill 2020 293
​December 2020 Foreign investment reforms: passing of Act introduces new national security test 292
​November 2020 Chief Executive Officer, Services Australia and Justin Warren [2020] AATA 4557 291
​August 2020 Plaintiff M83A/2019 v Morrison (No 2) [2020] FCA 1198 290
​August 2020 Mondelez v Automotive, Food, Metals, Engineering, Printing and Kindred Industries Union Known as the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU); Minister for Jobs and Industrial Relations v AMWU [2020] HCA 29 289
​May 2020 Communications, Electrical, Electronic, Energy, Information, Postal, Plumbing and Allied Services Union of Australia & Ors v Qantas Airways Limited [2020] FCA 656 288
​April 2020 Commonwealth of Australia v Helicopter Resources Pty Ltd [2020] HCA 16 287
​April 2020 Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) v Kinghorn; Kinghorn v Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) [2020] NSWCCA 48 286
​February 2020 Aboriginal Australians are not within the reach of the ‘aliens’ power conferred by s 51(xix) of the Constitution: Love v Commonwealth; Thoms v Commonwealth [2020] HCA 285
​January 2020 ASIC v Helou [2019] FCA 1634 284
​November 2019 HT v R [2019] HCA 40: High Court finds 'secret' evidence a step too far 283
​November 2019 Western Union Business Solutions (Australia) Pty Ltd v Robinson [2019] FCAFC 181 282
​October 2019 'Proportionality' in civil penalty cases – important developments 281
​August 2019 High Court confirms legal professional privilege a 'shield' not a 'sword' 280
​August 2019 Comcare v Banerji [2019] HCA 23 279
​June 2019 Commonwealth of Australia not liable for economic loss arising from its administration of the Home Insulation Program  278
​May 2019 Keyzer v La Trobe University [2019] FCA 646 277
​December 2018 Federal Court holds dismissal of an ill employee breached the Fair Work Act 2009 275
​November 2018 AIT18 v Australian Information Commissioner [2018] FCAFC 192 274
​October 2018 The Government Procurement (Judicial Review) Act 2018 (Cth) 273
​October 2018 John Nemcic v Australian Electoral Commission [2018] FWC 5645 272
​September 2018 Update: special leave refused in relation to penalty privilege 271
​May 2018 High Court confirms that State tribunals cannot exercise judicial power in federal matters 270
​April 2018 Full Federal Court finds the Harman obligation does not constrain statutory power 268
​March 2018 Tribunal rules on FOI access to text messages 267
​February 2018 Penalty privilege is not available in a federal administrative context unless it is applied by statute: apparent tension in High Court authority resolved 265
​February 2018 High Court finds Federal Court has power to make a personal payment order against a contravening union official under the Fair Work Act 2009 264
​January 2018 Commonwealth Government Business Enterprises – Governance and Oversight Guidelines 263
​September 2017 Full Federal Court clarifies when a psychological condition is an 'injury' or 'disease' under the SRC Act and how decisions ceasing entitlement to workers compensation can be approached 261
​June 2017 Whitebox proceeding has potential significance for Commonwealth civil regulators 259
​June 2017 The High Court considers 'market' for the purposes of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and when it is 'in Australia' 258
​May 2017 A current issue arising in ASIC v Whitebox (NSD383 of 2016) (Whitebox), with potential significance for other civil regulatory proceedings, has now been listed for separate hearing before the Full Court of the Federal Court on 8 June 2017 256
​May 2017 The Full Court of the Federal Court clarifies the causal connection between 'administrative action' and a disease that is necessary to potentially exclude liability under the SRC Act 255
​January 2017 Full Federal Court hands down decision on definition of 'personal information' 253
​November 2016 The High Court clarifies the causal connection between 'administrative action' and a disease that is necessary to potentially exclude liability under the SRC Act 251
​October 2016 Administrative Appeals Tribunal awards $8,000 in compensation for interference with privacy 250
​May 2016 Release from the 'implied undertaking' for the purpose of a criminal investigation 247
​March 2016 Full Federal Court confirms 'legal unreasonableness' principles 245
​March 2016 Acts and Instruments (Framework Reform) Act 2015 to commence on 5 March 244