Allens is an international top-tier commercial law firm with offices offices throughout Australia and Asia. Allens is an independent partnership operating in alliance with Linklaters LLP. The firm boasts some of the world's longest ongoing client relationships, stretching back more than 170 years.
Campaigns keep evolving, with more high stakes ahead
11 min read
Last year was another big one for shareholder activists globally, with investor sentiment in 2024 taking its cues from disruption across the broader economic and geopolitical landscape. Closer to home, activity was more stable in Australia—as it typically is, owing to our smaller footprint,…
Stays granted even if contractors are not insolvent
6 min read
The Queensland Supreme Court has granted a stay preventing enforcement of a judgment debt obtained by a contractor in reliance upon an adjudication decision pursuant to the Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017 (Qld) (BIF Act).
In this Insight, we consider Taringa…
Impact on class action landscape: Victoria’s magnet effect
7 min read
In the first of a string of upcoming decisions about the class action landscape, the High Court of Australia handed down judgment in Bogan v Smedley on 12 March 2025.1 The Court held that a group costs order (GCO) made in a class…
Commonwealth exposed to compensation claims for pre-1975 native title extinguishments
3 min read
The High Court has recently ruled, in Commonwealth of Australia v Yunupingu (on behalf of the Gumatj Clan or Estate Group) & Ors,1 that any actions taken by the Commonwealth before 1975 that extinguished or impaired native title, without providing just…
What you need to know
13 min read
The Federal Government’s recent changes to foreign investment policies released on 14 March 2025 introduce significant modifications.
In this Insight, we:
…
Failing to protect against cybersecurity risks
6 min read
ASIC has announced it has commenced civil penalty proceedings against FIIG Securities Limited (FIIG) for allegedly failing over four years to protect itself and its clients from cybersecurity risks. Specifically, ASIC claims FIIG failed to:
…
Over the past few months, the Government has introduced a number of important reforms to the Australian telecommunications regulatory landscape. These reforms will have a significant impact on all carriers and many carriage service providers. Taken together with the current Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code amendment process, they constitute a significant uplift in regulatory obligations…
Financing the next generation of PHES projects
11 min read
Interest in pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) continues to grow as the need for affordable, long-term, firm and weather-independent dispatchable electricity becomes increasingly critical to Australia’s energy transition. However, its high upfront capital costs and complex planning, procurement, and delivery processes, in contrast with its…
Guidance for employers on minimising risks of sexual and gender-based harassment
The Australian Government has approved a new Work Health and Safety (Sexual and Gender-based Harassment) Code of Practice 2025 which provides practical guidance to employers on how they can identify, manage and minimise risks of sexual and gender-based harassment at work.
In this Insight, we…
A turning point for statutory severance?
11 min read
‘Statutory severance’ provisions have a significant impact on the application of tax laws to owners of built infrastructure. The New South Wales Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Conexa Sydney Holdings Pty Ltd v Chief Commissioner of State Revenue [2025] NSWCA 20 (Conexa) adds nuance to…
