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ANNOUNCEMENT - The Brief has officially launched in Australia and is now accepting submissions and press releases from legal professionals and PR

will my ctp claim go to court?

One of the most common questions we hear from clients is: “Will my claim end up in court?” For most people, the answer is no. The vast majority of Queensland CTP claims are resolved through negotiation without the need for a trial. That’s not because going to court is a bad thing, it’s simply because, where possible, resolving a claim earlier usually saves everyone time, legal costs and the stress that naturally comes with litigation. The Queensland CTP system is specifically

By Sarah Grace

What we’re seeing one year into Queensland’s seller disclosure scheme

Buying or selling property in Queensland now comes with a longer checklist and, often, a bigger bill. A year on from the commencement of the seller disclosure regime, our property team is fielding the same questions from clients again and again: what has to be disclosed, who pays for it, and what happens if something is missed. The Property Law Act 2023 (Qld) replaced the State’s old buyer beware approach with a mandatory seller disclosure scheme. Here is what we are seeing o

By Rebecca Sheppard, Nargis Kazimi

The rate is the rate - ERD Court decision on car parking in Designated Areas

On 5 March 2026, the Environment, Resources and Development Court handed down a decision in Palma Investments Pty Ltd v Assessment Panel – City of Mitcham [2026] SAERDC 5 granting planning consent to the expansion of a medical centre at 202 Main Road, Blackwood. The case turned on whether it was sufficient for the development to meet the lower parking rates for “Designated Areas” when the actual demand generated by the development would be higher. The Appellant had sought

By Tom Game

Draft Legislation Takes Hammer to Non-Competes

The Federal Government’s proposed ban on non-compete clauses looks set to come to fruition, with the release of the Competition and Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Banning Unfair Non-Competes) Bill 2026 ("Bill") earlier this week. The Bill follows the Government’s March 2025 Budget1 commitment to prohibit non-compete clauses for low and middle-income workers and its subsequent consultation2 on non-competes and other restraints affecting worker mobility. The Bill goes further

By Michael Starkey

Draft Legislation Takes Hammer to Non-Competes

Secretary Department of Communities and Justice v Soulos

In Secretary Department of Communities and Justice v Soulos [2026] NSWCA 185, the NSW Court of Appeal upheld a $1,389,457.74 damages award against a government employer after a caseworker suffered total psychiatric incapacity following a two-minute segment in an SBS documentary about her former client’s death. The Court found it was reasonably foreseeable that she would identify the client and perceive the broadcast as blaming her for his death. The decision carries important

By Julie Bowker, Aristea Friedrich & Gabrielle Mcready

A Fair Work Ombudsman, Commission and now a Court…

Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese has recently announced the Government’s intention to establish a Fair Work Court. This is following criticisms that the legal system can be complicated, costly and not timely in dealing with certain disputes. The Government is looking to remove the need for parties to commence or escalate their matter to the Federal Court of Australia or the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. The Court will be designed for use by both employers and

By Amy Sydney & Laura Wood

QLD environment reforms: what comes next?

Queensland environmental reforms now in force — with a new framework from June 2026 Key legislative reforms affecting mine rehabilitation, surrender of environmental authorities, groundwater management, environmental assessment and enforcement commenced under Queensland’s Environmental Protection (Efficiency and Streamlining) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2026 (Qld) (Act). The Act also provides a new framework for the identification and protection of significant environ

By Anna Vella & Aaron Beale

Fast-tracking of State significant projects on the way in Queensland

The State Development and Public Works Organisation (Critical Minerals) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 (Qld) (the Bill) seeks to empower the Minister and the Coordinator-General (the CG) to facilitate projects of strategic importance to the State of Queensland, through fast-tracking approval processes, improving infrastructure coordination, and simplifying land access and acquisition powers. While the catalyst for the changes is related to the need to facilitate th

By Bill McCredie & Rosanne Muerling

Could Your Business Survive a Privacy Claim? Inside Australia’s New Privacy Reforms

High profile cyber attack cases (Optus, Medibank and Latitude to name a few) serve as cautionary tales of how data breaches can cripple a business and expose individuals to serious harm. While malicious attacks are often the ones which attract headlines, privacy breaches may also be caused by human error, misconfigured systems and/or unintended disclosures. Despite being one of the most significant risks facing Australian businesses today, privacy laws are often poorly under

By Simone Rees

Driverless cars: Who bears the risk?

A legal perspective on autonomous vehicles, insurance and liability Liability is migrating up the value chain: When software drives a car, responsibility begins to shift from the individual driver to the organisations that design, operate, update and supervise the system. The driverless car is, in effect, an emerging test of how corporations govern software-controlled risk in the physical world. Who bears the loss today, and who may bear it tomorrow: In Australia, personal i

By Dr Martyn Taylor

Analysis of Australia’s Carbon Farming Services Industry

Australia's carbon market has matured into a sophisticated industry supporting more than 2,800 registered carbon projects, yet relatively little attention has been paid to the businesses responsible for developing and managing those projects on behalf of landholders. Mills Oakley has released what is believed to be Australia’s first comprehensive analysis of the carbon farming services industry, examining the commercial models, market structure and governance arrangements sup

By Matt Egerton-Warburton & Scarlett Southey

Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) 3.2 and 3.5.

On 1 April 2026, Privacy Commissioner Carly Kind found that IRE Pty Ltd, owner and operator of 2Apply, interfered with individuals’ privacy by collecting personal information that was not reasonably necessary for its functions or activities, and through unfair means, in breach of Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) 3.2 and 3.5. In reaching this conclusion, the Commissioner placed particular emphasis on the design and operation of the 2Apply platform, the volume and sensitivi

By James Pratt

Changes to Primary Producer Registration (NSW) from 1 July 2026

Changes to the legislation came into effect on 1 July 2026. The change was to provide that a person must carry on a primary production business, within the meaning of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 of the Commonwealth, to be eligible to receive certain concessions on vehicle registration for primary producers. The change removes the historical emphasis on whether a person derived the majority of their income from farming. Under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth), a

By Belinda Hughes

The most misunderstood role in construction – the Superintendent

The superintendent – independent certifier or principal’s agent? In a perfect world, construction projects would run smoothly. Principals would have perfect drawings and perfect specifications which set out exactly what to build and even, notes on how to build it. With this perfect information, builders would know exactly what difficulties to expect when building, plan accordingly and deliver each project perfectly on time and for the originally agreed price. Unfortunately, w

By Alex Tuhtan

Where did my airplanes go? Federal Court finds against Perth Airport Pty Ltd for misleading conduct

The judgment of Anderson J in United Petroleum Pty Ltd v Perth Airport Pty Ltd (No 2) [2026] FCA 620 has provided a recent and detailed account of the law of misleading and deceptive conduct which reiterates the inability for a contravening party to contract out of contravention in any manner. The Federal Court’s decision is another critical reminder of Australia’s strong consumer protection laws that extend to prohibiting what can arguably be described as overselling in reg

By Iain Freeman

Land Transfer Duty and Adverse Possession Claims in Victoria

Why acquiring land by possession is a dutiable transaction, how the State Revenue Office assesses it, and what claimants should budget for. Introduction While many people are familiar making a claim for adverse possession, the financial implications for the claimant are less well understood beyond the surveying and application fees. One example is the requirement for pay duty on the transfer. In Victoria, acquiring land by adverse possession is often still treated by the Stat

By Joel Snyder & Jonathan Hourigan

Fast-tracking patent examination in Australia

Australia has two mechanisms available for fast-tracking patent examination – the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) and IP Australia’s expedited examination program. Australia is part of the Global PPH (GPPH), and has a PCT-PPH and an IP Australia-EPO PPH program. On 2 June 2026, Australia joined the PPH eXtra initiative, which aims to provide clearer timeframes for examination under the PPH. However, IP Australia’s expedited examination program remains a viable option for acc

By Dr Claire Gregg