Check out my video presentation entitled "ACCC Cheat Sheet - February 2024" in which I discuss ACCC developments in February 2024 including the Bingo / Aussie Skips criminal cartel sentencing decision, the Australian Competition Tribunal approval of the ANZ Suncorp merger and an ACCC warning to people not to look for love in all the wrong places, Run time 33 mins ..read more

Very excited to have been appointed as a part time General Member of the Consumer and Commercial Division of the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). Looking forward to working with the rest of the NCAT team in seeking to fulfil the objects of NCAT - namely to resolve proceedings justly, quickly, cheaply and with as little formality as possible. https://ncat.nsw.gov.au/about-ncat/tribunal-members.html ..read more

Check out my recent video presentation entitled "Judging the judges - Stradford a pseudonym v Judge Vasta [2023] FCA 1020". In this video I look at Justice Wigney's Federal Court decision in which he found Judge Vasta, the Commonwealth and the State of Queensland liable for false imprisonment and ordered both aggravated and exemplary damages. Run time 24 mins ..read more

Check out my ACCC Cheat Sheet for January 2024. Whilst it was a relatively quiet month there were some important announcements including the findings and recommendations of the ACCC Childcare enquiry, the announcement of the ACCC's supermarket price enquiry, warnings about the Taylor Swift Tour scam and the introduction of a designated complaint process. Run time 28 mins   ..read more

Check out my recent video presentation entitled "Chicken fees for NAB nabbing" in which I look at the Federal Court cases against the National Australia Bank for unconscionable conduct which resulted in a total penalty of only $2.1 million. In the penalty judgment Justice Derrington acknowledges that the penalty will not achieve any specific or general deterrence but claims he is unable to impose a higher penalty. Run time 30 mins ..read more

Whilst this report is dated September 2023, as far as I can tell it was only released in January 2024, after the Government had formulated its response. Glad to see that the Small and Medium Enterprise Committee, Law Council of Australia submission to the Review was cited extensively (15 times) throughout the report. Looks like we will be preparing another submission about the Food and Grocery Code in the near future with the announcement Dr Craig Emerson's 2022-23 review. Michael Terceiro Deputy Chair SME Committee ..read more

Check out my recent video presentation entitled "ACCC Cheat Sheet - December 2023" where I look at ACCC developments in December 2023. It was a very busy month including a record Resale Price Maintenance fine against Techtronic, the resolution of consumer protection cases against Fitbit and Airbnb, Emma Sleep in court for a dark pattern, heaps of ACCC reports on issues such as social media influencers, stevedoring, banking, fuel, electricity, gas, etc and the resolution of a number of mergers ie Coles - Saputo, Woolworths - Petstock, Australian Clinical Labs - Helius. Run time 47 mins ..read more

ABLR Vol 51, Part 6 is out. This edition features three excellent contributions: * A New Sheriff in Town? Section 596A and Shareholders’ Newfound Powers by Aaron Timoshanko   *Effectiveness of Dispute Resolution Processes Conducted Online: Findings from Empirical Research with Implications for Small Business Providing Dispute Resolution Services by Lola Akin Ojelabi, Fahimeh Abedi, PhD, Louis De Koker and John Zeleznikow   * Automation of the “Identical or Nearly Identical” Test in Business Names Registration by Timothy Magarry   I would again like to encourage prospective autho ..read more

ABLR Vol 51, Part 5 is out. This edition features four excellent contributions: * Australian Cartel Law: Recent Developments – Second Set of Two Sets by Brent Fisse *Cybersecurity, Data Governance and Directors Fiduciary Duty: An Expanding Obligation – Robert Walters * Small Business and Legal Needs: Effective Support for Access to Justice by Maree Sainsbury * Fair Enough? Use of Exclusions and Limits of Liability in the Australian Logistics Industry – Gillian Bristow and Mia Williams I would again like to encourage prospective authors to consider submitting their articles t ..read more

Check out my recent video presentation entitled "ACCC Cheat Sheet - November 2023" in which I look at ACCC developments in November 2023 including the consultations on the proposed unfair trading practices law and merger reforms, the seventh digital platforms report, the ACCC’s first MOOves on greenwashing enforcement and the proposed service station sell off. Run time 30 mins ..read more