Australia: Court Holds That Melbourne Curfew as Part of Response to Pandemic...
(Nov. 13, 2020) On November 2, 2020, the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia, issued a decision in the case of Loielo v Giles [2020] VSC 722 (Decision), in which the plaintiff claimed that the state’s...
View ArticleAustralia: New Legislative Framework for Federal Assessments of Arrangements...
(Dec. 17, 2020) On December 10, 2020, Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Bill 2020 (Cth) (the act) received assent, having been passed by the Commonwealth (i.e., federal)...
View ArticleAustralia: Adopted Persons in NSW Able to Obtain Birth Certificates with...
(Dec. 24, 2020) On November 16, 2020, the Adoption Legislation Amendment (Integrated Birth Certificates) Act 2020 (NSW) came into force in the state of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, following its...
View ArticleAustralia: Bill Banning Export of Unprocessed Waste Enacted
(Jan. 11, 2021) On December 15, 2020, Australia’s Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 (Cth) received assent. The act implements an export ban on waste plastic, paper, glass, and tires agreed by the...
View ArticleAustralia: Bill Making Vaccination Reporting Mandatory Passed
(Feb. 11, 2021) On February 4, 2021, the Australian Parliament passed the Australian Immunisation Register Amendment (Reporting) Bill 2021 (Cth), which amends the Australian Immunisation Register Act...
View ArticleAustralia: New Legislation Establishes Code of Conduct for Negotiations...
(Feb. 26, 2021) On February 25, 2021, the Australian Parliament passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code) Bill 2021 (Cth). The bill, which has been...
View ArticleAustralia: Sexual Consent Provisions in Queensland Criminal Code Amended
(Apr. 20, 2021) On April 7, 2021, the Criminal Code (Consent and Mistake of Fact) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2021 (Qld), which was passed by the Queensland Parliament on March 25, 2021,...
View ArticleAustralia: Ban on Single-Use Plastic Products Enacted in Australian Capital...
(May 10, 2021) On April 8, 2021, the Plastic Reduction Act 2021 (ACT) was notified in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Legislation Register, with the relevant bill having been passed by the ACT...
View ArticleAustralia: Bill to Establish New Federal Family Violence Orders Introduced
(June 22, 2021) On March 24, 2021, the Family Law Amendment (Federal Family Violence Orders) Bill 2021 (Cth) (the bill) was introduced in the Australian Parliament to amend the federal Family Law Act...
View ArticleInternational: WTO Reports 2020 Saw Lowest-Ever Number of Disputes, No Appeals
On July 9, 2021, the World Trade Organization (WTO) published its 2021 Annual Report, which highlights the increase in trade-restricting measures and trade-facilitation measures put in place by its...
View ArticleAustralia: High Court Holds Indefinite Immigration Detention Is Lawful
On June 23, 2021, the High Court of Australia, the highest court in Australia’s court hierarchy, issued a decision in Commonwealth of Australia v AJL20 [2021] HCA 21 (Decision).The question for the...
View ArticleAustralia: Online Safety Bill Passed
On June 23, 2021, the Australian Parliament passed the Online Safety Bill 2021 (Cth). The bill was introduced on February 24, 2021, to address the issue of cyberabuse and cyberbullying against...
View ArticleAustralia: Western Australia Parliament Passes Law Establishing Safe Access...
On August 12, 2021, the Parliament of Western Australia passed the Public Health Amendment (Safe Access Zones) Bill 2021 (WA) to establish “safe access zones” in and around premises where abortions are...
View ArticleAustralia: Court Holds Artificial Intelligence Systems Can Be Designated as...
On July 30, 2021, the Federal Court of Australia held, in the case of Thaler v Commissioner of Patents [2021] FCA 89 (Decision), that “an artificial intelligence system” can be recognized as an...
View ArticleAustralia: High Court Finds Media Outlets Are Responsible for Defamatory...
On September 8, 2021, the High Court of Australia (the highest court in Australia’s court hierarchy) dismissed an appeal by three large media outlets against a decision of the Court of Appeal of the...
View ArticleAustralia: Court Recognizes ICSID Arbitration Award Against a Sovereign State
On June 25, 2021, the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia made an order recognizing an award issued by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) against the...
View ArticleAustralia: Australian Capital Territory Criminalizes Nonconsensual Removal of...
On October 7, 2021, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Legislative Assembly unanimously passed the Crimes (Stealthing) Amendment Bill 2021 (ACT), which was subsequently notified and became the...
View ArticleAustralia: Northern Territory Abortion Law Amended to Improve Access to...
On December 15, 2021, the Termination of Pregnancy Law Reform Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 (NT) received assent from the administrator of Australia’s Northern Territory, having been passed by the...
View ArticleAustralia: Legislation Increasing Penalties for Trafficking of Firearms Passed
On February 16, 2022, the Criminal Code Amendment (Firearms Trafficking) Bill 2022 was introduced in the Australian Parliament. The bill, which amends the federal Criminal Code Act 1955 (Cth), was...
View ArticleAustralia: Tasmania Outlaws Stealthing, Adds New Strangulation Offense to...
On June 6, 2022, the Criminal Code Amendment Bill 2022 (Tas) received royal assent, having been passed by the Tasmanian Parliament in May 2022. The bill amends the definition of “consent” in the...
View ArticleAustralia: Legislation Setting Emissions Reduction Targets Enacted
On September 14, 2022, the Climate Change Act 2022 (Cth) came into effect in Australia. The act, which sets out Australia’s emissions reduction ambitions, was passed in conjunction with the Climate...
View ArticleAustralia: Land Court Finds against Proposed Coal Mine due to Impact on...
On November 25, 2022, the Land Court of Queensland issued a decision in a case in which a First Nations-led group of young people from across the state, who had formed an entity called Youth Verdict,...
View ArticleGermany: Federal Court of Justice Holds 'Stealthing' Punishable as Sexual...
In a decision published on February 1, 2023, the German Federal Court of Justice (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) held that the act of “stealthing” is punishable as sexual assault in accordance with section...
View ArticleAustralia: South Australia Passes 'First Nations Voice' to Parliament...
On March 26, 2023, the South Australian Parliament passed the First Nations Voice Bill 2023 (SA), becoming the first Australian state to allow an Indigenous “Voice” to Parliament. The government of...
View ArticleAustralia: Legislation Allowing Publication of Company Gender Pay Gaps Passed
On March 30, 2023, the Australian Parliament passed the Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill 2023. The bill will enable the Workplace Gender Equality Agency to publish...
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