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Costs orders in cases of historical child abuse

The NSW Supreme Court has ordered a plaintiff to pay the defendant's costs in BTM1 v Scout Association of Australia New South Wales Branch (No.2) [2023] NSWSC, a case predicated on a claim of historical child abuse.

Modern contract law for acceptance: Thumbs-up emoji considered valid acceptance of contractual terms

A Canadian Superior Court has ruled that the use of a thumbs-up emoji was effective to constitute an acceptance of contractual terms.

"Black box" infringement: Generative AI and intellectual property rights

2023 has played host to an uprising of generative AI tools, across a variety of use cases, from image creation to large language models.

New South Wales Land and Environment Court says integrated development scheme is not a "one-stop shop" for an environment protection licence

A recent case involved a class 4 judicial review proceedings in the NSW Land and Environment Court challenging the NSW Environment Protection Authority's refusal to grant an Environment Protection Licence for scheduled activities.

Contribution from offenders: Proposed legislative changes to access their superannuation

High Court confirms the constitutional validity of notional GST paid by local governments

The case of Hornsby Shire Council v Commonwealth of Australia [2023] HCA 19 concerned proceedings in the High Court of Australia in respect of the payment of an amount of notional goods and services tax to the Commonwealth.