Empowering smart decisions with the latest market insights.

Uneasy departure – Why variations to standard form contracts need careful consideration

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the recent Supreme Court case of Tomkins Commercial & Industrial Builders Pty Ltd (Tomkins) v Pacific Diamond 88 Pty Ltd as trustee…

SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES TO VICTORIAN RESIDENTIAL BUILDING LEGISLATION

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Building Legislation Amendment (Buyer Protections) Bill 2025 introduces far reaching reforms of benefit to home and apartment owners in Victoria, but which…

DON’T BE LATE – TIME BARS AND STRICT COMPLIANCE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Strict compliance with procedural requirements has long been recognised in the construction industry as essential to establishing a party’s contractual rights. Colormode Pty…

PPSA – Recoveries Newsletter

This publication by Insolvency Practitioners and Litigators of HWL Ebsworth explores cases and issues involving the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth) over recent years….

The Granting of PPSA Security Interests in Corporate Insolvency Work Outs

Cathro, in the matter of Cubic Interiors NSW Pty Ltd (in liq) [2023] FCA 694 (Cheeseman J) The decision explores the inherent vagueness in ss588FL…

Payment of Employee Entitlements from Circulating Assets – the Long Arm of Section 433 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth)

Department of Employment and Workplace Relations v Howell, in the Matter of Castel Electronics Pty Ltd [2024] FCA 566 (McElwaine J – Federal Court of…

Does an agreement ‘provide’ for a security interest?

Kirkalocka Gold SPV Pty Ltd (Receivers and Managers Appointed) v Zenith Pacific (KLK) Pty Ltd, in the matter of Kirkalocka Gold SPV Pty Ltd [2024]…

Intellectual Property, Technology & Media Newsletter – March 2025

Welcome to our Newsletter, bringing you the latest in Intellectual Property, Technology and Media Law news. Designing the future: is it Australia’s time for a…

HWL Ebsworth successfully defends urgent injunction application to restrain a former employee in the accounting industry

HWL Ebsworth successfully defended an urgent application for interlocutory relief in Blue Rock Australia Pty Ltd v Kaushik where the Federal Court dismissed Blue Rock…

Dealing with Disruption, Diversification and Systems Governance in 2025

Boardroom Briefing Companies face unprecedented shifts in climate, AI and digital technology impacting workflows and transforming the business landscape. These are not just risks to…

Designing the future: Is it Australia’s time for a virtual makeover in design protection?

Design protection is gaining greater attention worldwide, but particularly in Australia after back to back years of domestic and international action focused on improving design…

Tick the box: lessons on incorporating terms into contracts

Michael Hill Jeweller (Australia) Pty Ltd v Gispac Pty Ltd (No 2)1 (Michael Hill v Gispac) concerned a dispute involving sales agreements for Gispac to deliver…

Ugg-ly Business: The trade mark tug-of-war over sheepskin boots

Ugg boots are widely understood to have been invented in Australia. Thus, the current headlines involving Australian company UGG Since 1974 have sparked outrage as…

The new Tobacco Licensing Scheme in Victoria: here’s what retailers and wholesalers need to know 

In November 2024 the Victorian Parliament passed a bill amending the Tobacco Act 1987 (Vic) (Act). The Tobacco Amendment (Tobacco Retailer and Wholesaler Licensing Scheme)…

Changes to the tipping off offence: finally, some relief

On 31 March 2025, changes to the ‘tipping off’ prohibition set out in s123 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) (Act)…

Federal Government to extend unfair trading practice protection to small businesses

On 14 March 2025, the Federal announced that it plans to extend on Unfair Trading Practices protections to small businesses after a consultation process found…

New Franchise Code – It’s no April Fool’s

A new Franchising Code of Conduct (Code) is coming into effect from 1 April 2025. We have previously written about the new Code (here and…

What ICANN do for you: Understanding domain names 

As consumer facing and service oriented industries increasingly shift online, maintaining a dedicated website has become indispensable. Yet designing, launching, and operating a website can…

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