The Commonwealth does not have to hand over health advice given to the National Cabinet concerning Australia’s COVID-19 response and vaccine administration to the applicants in three lawsuits contesting compulsory vaccination orders by the NSW Health Minister.
Nine subsidiary Fairfax Media has agreed to pay compensation to a Papua New Guinea politician who sued the publisher for defamation for allegedly engaging in a “smear campaign”, with a judge making an order of compensation despite a “ludicrous” objection from Fairfax.
Qantas has lost its second attempt to delay a hearing on further relief pending an appeal in its outsourcing spat with the Transport Workers Union, with a judge finding a stay would prejudice the union more than the airline.
Supermarket giant Woolworths has denied the Fair Work Ombudsman is entitled to seek compensation for its underpayment of staff, saying its $330 million remediation to affected employees fully answers the regulator’s case.
Government-owned Airservices Australia has appealed an order that it pay $72,450 in fines to a civilian air traffic controllers union for withdrawing guidelines for standby shifts, which a judge found was a “serious breach” of an enterprise agreement.
Despite claims the $98 million settlement did not warrant a contradictor’s scrutiny, a judge has appointed a contradictor to represent the interests of group members in franchisee class actions against 7-Eleven as he weighs the deal.
The owners and operators of five Melbourne theatres have filed legal action against Ansvar Insurance seeking more than $20 million in business interruption cover for losses stemming from closures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Western Australia Supreme Court judge has dodged a lawsuit by a kosher compliance inspector who alleged he was defamed by an email that claimed the inspector did not have “shem tov”, or a good name, in Perth’s Jewish community.
Qantas has filed a bid to delay a hearing on penalty after a judge found the airline outsourced ground operations partly to prevent employees engaging in industrial action, but the TWU has said a stay would be “unfair” to 1,600 former ground staff.
Recent changes to the law requiring funded class actions to be registered as managed investment schemes have complicated the question of how best to resolve the multiplicity issue in two class actions brought against Freedom Foods and Deloitte.