Origin Energy has been hit with a record $17 million penalty for violating its obligation to protect financially vulnerable customers, including by disconnecting the services of some who were on a payment plan.
Qantas’ termination of a long-serving engineer who refused to get vaccinated against COVID-19 because he “feared for his life” was a “tragedy” but not unlawful, the Fair Work Commission has found.
Samsung Australia has been slapped with a $14 million penalty for running ads that misrepresented that its Galaxy smartphones could be used in pool and sea water.
The Australian Taxation Office has finalised its protocol for dealing with claims of legal professional privilege, developed in response to large companies asserting “reckless” privilege claims which the ATO says obstruct its investigations.
A judge who will oversee an upcoming hearing for approval of a $20 million settlement in a class action against Optus contractor BSA has urged the parties to sever the funder’s commission and costs from the settlement to avoid delays in distribution to group members.
Apple and Google have been hit with class actions alleging they violated competition laws by charging customers inflated commission on certain apps and in-app purchases.
A judge has signed off on a $56.3 million settlement in a class action against wealth manager Colonial First State that will see Maurice Blackburn earn $14.5 million in costs, saying it was a good example of the class action regime in operation.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton has asked the High Court to overturn an appeals court judgment that found a tweet labelling him a “rape apologist” was not defamatory.
Former Sydney Symphony CEO Emma Dunch has struck back at the orchestra’s argument that she can’t claim she was terminated for investigating claims of sexual harassment after telling the media she was the victim of a politically motivated “hit job” for seeking funding from the NSW government.
The High Court has declined to review an appeals court decision that overturned a $106 million judgment against a unit of Indian conglomerate Adani Group over access charges for its Abbot Point coal terminal.