The Full Federal Court has ruled that unconscionable conduct under the Australian Consumer Law is not confined to exploitation of vulnerable parties, in an “extremely significant” judgment that will extend the reach of the unconscionable conduct provisions and protect a wider swathe of consumers.
The former wife of war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith will testify at an upcoming hearing that he lied about matters that are “centrally relevant” to his defamation case against three newspapers, a court has heard.
The Federal Court is set to determine whether artificial intelligence can be the inventor of a patent, after an AI pioneer filed a challenge to an IP Australia finding that allowing a machine to be considered an inventor would render the Patents Act incapable of “sensible operation”.
Health care giant Healius has lost its application to the High Court to challenge a $60 million win for the Australian Taxation Office.
A judge has dismissed claims brought by a former One Nation staffer against the federal government accusing it of being liable for former senator Brian Burston’s alleged sexual harassment, finding that the terms of her unfair dismissal settlement barred her from bringing sexual harassment allegations againt the Commonwealth.
The Federal Government has argued a class action against the expansion of a northern NSW mine has “conspicuously failed” to show that the emissions would contribute to “catastrophic harm”, but a judge has questioned the Commonwealth’s contention that other countries would be responsible for the emissions.
Carlton United Breweries has appealed a ruling ordering it to hand over almost 1,500 documents to the Commissioner of Taxation relating to an audit of the beer giant.
Construction company Clough Limited cannot claim over $15 million paid to employees for cancellation of their shares and options as a tax deduction, with a judge dismissing the Perth-based company’s appeal of a decision from the Commissioner of Taxation.
Trial kicked off Tuesday in a landmark class action brought by teenagers seeking to halt the expansion of a Whitehaven coal mine in NSW, with the barrister for the teens arguing catastrophe was likely if the expansion was blessed by the Federal Minister for the Environment.
ASIC has launched court proceedings against National Australia Bank accusing the bank of engaging in unconscionable conduct by charging more than $365,000 in fees to which it was not contractually entitled.