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• Standardising insurance policy common terms in Australia

  The Australian government is considering the standardisation of the definitions in insurance policies sold to the public particularly of natural hazards such as ‘fire’, ‘storm’, and ‘stormwater and rainwater run-off’. The criteria for standardisation is whether the terms used are causing consumer confusion. Does the term relate to a significant area of coverage in the...

• Medical: 2023 Cosmetic Surgery Guideline validity.

  Callan v Medical Board of Australia [2024] NSWSC 336 (link to Caselaw). With thanks to Ada Lim for drawing the decision in this matter to my attention. The following is drawn from the headnote provided by the Court. Background The plaintiffs seek judicial review of a decision of the Medical Board of Australia to issue...

• Australian Regulator Wins First Greenwashing Enforcement Action

  As ESG-related litigation has developed, one definitive trend has been the emergence of litigation involving allegations of “greenwashing” – that is, claims alleging that companies overstated their ESG credentials in order to win business, attract customers, or score virtue points. To date, the greenwashing claims have emerged primarily in the U.S. and Europe. Now, Australia...

• Food safety inspections found to be similar across countries

  Approaches to food safety inspections are similar between five countries but personal preferences could be responsible for some of the differences, according to a study. Research identified how environmental health practitioners (EHPs) from Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Ireland perform food safety inspections. Data was collected via an online survey...

• Scientists call for safety standards to cover donated food

  There is a need for a specific food safety regulatory framework for donated food in Australia, according to researchers. Current national food safety laws and policies regulate businesses, but do not apply to donations. The study, published in the journal Food Policy, involved visually identifying and assessing the safety and quality of donations at an...

• Wild mushroom warning sounded in Australia

  The Food Safety Information Council has warned people in Australia against picking and eating wild mushrooms. The charity raised several issues around picking mushrooms for consumption after recent wet weather in the country. Cathy Moir, chair of the Food Safety Information Council, said foraging for wild food is becoming popular, and is promoted by influencers...

• Australian Intellectual Property Reforms Ahead

  2024 appears to be a year of change in the Australian Intellectual Property realm, with the adoption by IP Australia of the Madrid Goods and Services List and the introduction of the Intellectual Property Laws Amendment (Regulator Performance) Act 2023. Adoption of the Madrid Goods and Services List In January 2024 IP Australia announced that...

• International Women’s Day 2024: Pay gaps, the law of averages and accelerating progress

  International Women’s Day for 2024 has the important theme of Count Her In: Invest in Women. The UN talks about the importance of empowering women and investing in women in a range of ways. This includes accelerating women’s economic empowerment by recognising that when women entrepreneurs are successful, this can lead to more benefits. The...

• Large vs Small, Group Ownership vs Independent – What Factors Influenced Firms’ Patent Filing Share in 2023?

  As I recently reported, Australian patent filings in 2023 fell slightly, by 2.4%, over the previous year.  This implies, of course, that patent attorneys filing applications on behalf of domestic and foreign clients should, overall, also have experienced a similar decline new filings.  But, of course, individual firms fared differently in the competition for this...

• The next ten years: Seyfarth’s partners discuss the future of employment and workplace safety law in Australia

  In our previous post celebrating the firm’s decade in Australia, our partners shared their insights into the most significant changes in employment and safety law that have affected leading employers. This post further explores our partners’ perspectives on the major changes and trends that they anticipate will have a major impact on Australian businesses in...

Featured documents

• Australia Calling on Legal Technology

  Keep an eye on tech developments in Australia....

• Listeria clue links firm to third death

  January 21, 2006 The Australian Verity Edwards THE smallgoods company at the centre of the fatal listeria outbreak in South Australia has been linked to a third death. The state Health Department said there was evidence a Victorian woman ate meat from Conroy’s Smallgoods before a massive recall of...

• Banquet broke bride’s heart

  Ellen Connolly of the Sunday Telegraph (Australia) reports that it was every bride’s worst nightmare: the picture-perfect country wedding ruined by food poisoning from a hens’ night at the local Chinese restaurant. Country bride, Simone Sprenkeler, her bridesmaids and mother were struck down for a...

• Fluids Given To Brain Injury Patients Impact Survival Rates

  A new study out of Australia and New Zealand found new information relating to the treatment of patients with traumatic brain injuries. The "SAFE-TBI Study" published in the New England Journal of Medicine, confirms that the choice of resuscitation fluids affects the chances of patients with brain...

• Australia Struggling To Control Campylobacter

  Campylobacter is the most common cause of food poisoning down under and is on the increase, with nearly 18,000 cases confirmed in Australia in 2007 (14,750 in 2002). This year, there have nearly been 8,000 cases. World Poultry Net reports: Concern over food poisoning caused by chicken meat has...

• Law firm overhead – Can we cut?

  During our program at the recently concluded ALM Law Firm Leaders conference, today, Running Your Firm as a Business – A Closer Look at the Middle Office, I had an ah-ha moment!  The moderator of our panel, Ron Friedmann, Senior Vice President Marketing of Integreon, talked about Australia’s law...

• Listeria Outbreak On Virgin Blue Airlines Came From The Chicken Wraps

  Virgin Blue is shaking up the airline business in Australia.   It made a big mistake, however, when it chose Wollongong’s GMI Food Wholesalers Pty. Ltd., trading as Australian Poultry and Food Wholesalers, as its poultry supplier. The airline used the poultry in “chicken wraps” fed to passengers,...

• Australia Signing on To Hague Convention on Service of Process

  Australian law firm Clayton Utz explains the situation here....

• Vioxx Decision from Trial Judge in Australia

  The news is everywhere regarding the Australian trial court opinion  in a Vioxx case. The trial judge’s opinion is here.  The court included a summary of its full opinion. The summary is pasted after the “jump” to the extended portion of this post. (Side note – One has to love the Australian...

• Congressional Legislation to Overturn Morrison v. National Australia Bank

  The passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 7143) (the “Act”) limits the Supreme Court’s decision in Morrison v. National Australian Bank Ltd., No. 08-1191 (June 24, 2010), to private rights of action.  The Act leaves open the possibility that Morrison will be ...