Regulators

A judge has rejected part of IVF provider Virtus Health’s bid for redactions in a recent decision from the court temporarily blocking the company from purchasing rival Adora Fertility, saying some of the confidentiality claims were “staggering” and “border on ridiculous.”

The High Court has found a 15 per cent ‘backpacker tax’ imposed on holders of Australian working holiday visas violates a double taxation agreement between Australia and the UK.

A judge has ordered a class action against AMP to provide more detail in its case accusing the financial services firm of failing to disclose information to shareholders about allegedly misleading ASIC and charging clients fees for no service.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission has accused Finnish microloan company Ferratum of overcharging vulnerable, low-income consumers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BlueScope general manager Jason Ellis made executives of a steel distributor “extremely uncomfortable” in a meeting where he presented the steel giant’s price list, a court hearing the ACCC’s price-fixing case was told Monday.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has warned public agencies not to encourage businesses to coordinate bids for tenders, saying an investigation showed government departments had “contemplated cooperation” by competitors.

In a major blow to the competition regulator’s high-profile price-fixing case over ANZ’s $2.5 billion capital raising, prosecutors have dropped all charges against the bank and its group treasurer, Rick Moscati.

A fine imposed against the Commonwealth Bank for false and misleading representations to customers should reflect offences that were “well below the midpoint” of seriousness, counsel for the bank has told a judge overseeing the first criminal case of its kind.  

The Fair Work Commission has ruled that a mask mandate issued by Qantas as part of its Fly Well program in response to the COVID-19 pandemic was “lawful and reasonable” as it tossed an unfair dismissal case brought by a former flight attendant.

iSignthis CEO John Karantzis claims the ATO misled the court when it sought a freezing order over his assets in a dispute over an alleged $10.7 million tax debt, saying the tax office failed to give the judge “material” information.