Articles and Legal Updates

ACCC: Compliance and Enforcement Priorities for 2024/25 – Legal Update

Australia’s competition and consumer watchdog, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (‘ACCC’), has issued its 2024/25 Compliance and Enforcement Policy and Priorities. The ACCC’s 2024-25 priorities and focus reflect that cost of living issues and the digital economy are key challenges facing Australia’s economy and community.

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The Risk of Data Retention – Why Your Organisation Needs a Data Retention and Destruction Policy

Under Australian Privacy Law, organisations that hold Personal Information must take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify personal information that the entity no longer needs – or face risks of incurring high penalties and reputational damage. An effective Data Retention and Destruction Policy provides an entity with a clear roadmap to ensure compliance with its obligations at law.

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Australian Consumer Guarantees and Warranties: Is Your Business Compliant? – Update January 2024

The consumer guarantees provided under the Australian Consumer Law cannot be excluded, modified or restricted and are in addition to any manufacturer’s or supplier’s warranty – with high penalties applying for breach. Fitbit was recently ordered to pay penalties of $11million for making misleading statements about consumer guarantee rights.
Businesses can take steps to minimise the risk of contravention of the Australian Consumer Law relating to consumer guarantees.

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ASIC releases Corporate Plan 2023-27 with Key Strategic Priorities and Projects – What does this mean for businesses?

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), Australia’s company and financial services market regulator, released its latest Corporate Plan 2023-27. ASIC’s four year plan provides companies and organisations with useful insight into the regulator’s strategic priorities in respect of compliance and enforcement. This update provides an overview of ASIC’s plan.

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Damages for Online Defamation – the “Serious Harm” Element

The additional requirement to establish “serious harm” in a defamation action was part of the reforms to Australian defamation law which came into effect on 1 July 2021. They were enacted to encourage defamation claims not involving “serious harm” to be resolved without court action. This update provides a review of recent Australian defamation cases where the courts have considered whether the “serious harm” requirement has been established and provides useful guidance on factors that the court will consider in determining “serious harm”.

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Advertising of Health Services – New Advertising Guidelines – Is your advertising compliant?

The new Medical Board/AHPRA “Guidelines For Registered Medical Practitioners who Advertise Cosmetic Surgery” came into effect on 1 July 2023. Health practitioners, individuals, businesses, and companies involved in advertising of health services will be subjected to greater scrutiny by the regulators who will be focusing on advertising and social media used to promote cosmetic surgery.

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Strategies for Protecting and Maximizing Value of Intellectual Property in the Digital Market

Maintaining and protecting a business’s trade marks, brand names, designs, patents and copyright material are critical for maximizing the value of the intellectual property and resulting revenue. This update provides an overview of some of the strategies that businesses can consider implementing for the maintenance and protection of their intellectual property rights in the on-line digital market environment and generally.

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ACCC to examine ‘general internet search services’ in Australia

On 18 March, 2024, the ACCC released an issues paper seeking submissions from consumers, businesses and industry participants about their experience and developments in general search services in Australia. The ACCC issues paper is focussing on the impact of regulatory and industry developments; trends in search quality and the emergence of generative AI.

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ASIC steps up surveillance work to shut down scam websites and protect consumers

ASIC’s latest Enforcement and Regulatory Update Report (for the period October to December 2023) reveals ASIC’s focus on protecting consumers and Australians generally by targeting digitally enabled misconduct – including stopping online investment scams at the source and taking down scam websites. This is in addition to ASIC’s continuing focus on strengthening financial market integrity, insurance institution failures, greenwashing and improving regulatory and legal compliance

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OAIC’s Latest Report on Notifiable Data Breaches: Privacy Risk Management Update

Malicious or criminal attacks and human error continue to be the major causes of notifiable data breaches reported to the OAIC during the 6 month period to 30 June 2023 according to the OAIC Notifiable Data Breaches Report – January-June 2023. This Update provides a summary of some key findings and statistics contained in the OAIC’s Report as well as steps which organisations and businesses can take to minimise the risk and harm of privacy data breaches.

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