On 7 September, 2026, the Australian Government released its proposed legislation – Competition and Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Banning Unfair Non-Competes) Bill 2026 – which will ban non‑compete clauses in employment contracts for low and middle income Australian workers, with some exceptions. Businesses affected by the proposed ban can make submissions to the Government on the draft Bill until 2 October 2026 via https://consult.treasury.gov.au/
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Confidential information/trade secrets are valuable intellectual property assets of many businesses and organisations. R & D organisations may lose their rights to seek patent protection of resulting inventions where publication or disclosure of the invention occurs prior to patent filing. This article provides an overview of the legal framework for the protection of confidential information/trade secrets in Australia and provides guidance on strategies for their protection.
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With on-line digital markets rapidly evolving with the development of new technologies, including AI tools and AI services, the ACCC in its final report released on the 23 June 2025 has identified a number of developments and emerging issues for consumers in digital platform markets which need monitoring. This article explores some of these issues and the ACCC’s recommended regulatory reforms to address them.
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The ACCC has issued its Compliance and Enforcement Priorities for 2026 to 2027. The ACCC will be focusing on various business and consumer sectors including Supermarkets and retail, Digital markets and Essential services, telecommunications, electricity, and gas
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On 25 March 2025, the Australian Government announced a proposal to ban non-compete clauses for employees earning less than the high-income threshold. The Government has consulted on the reform to non-compete clauses and on potential additional reforms to other restraints on workers. In this article, Stephens Lawyers and Consultants discusses a recent case which demonstrates why non-compete clauses should be maintained in employment contracts.
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