Business and Industry Regulation

Coles points to rising wages and energy costs as well as increased prices from its suppliers as some of the reasons for painful increases to supermarket prices, as it offers its defence to a federal inquiry into the issue.

The former chair of the ACCC takes aim at electricity providers, banks, airlines, supermarkets, and other big businesses in his new report on price gouging and unfair pricing practices.

The issues that led to the royal commission five years ago have faded, even if they haven't all been fixed. As new issues like scams and the impact of artificial intelligence capture attention, advocates want banks to keep a focus on doing the right thing by their customers.

The Fair Work Ombudsman says the operators of two Adelaide Vietnamese restaurants allegedly underpaid staff more than $400,000 and unlawfully punished them for incorrectly charging customers. 

Practitioners say the new rules around cosmetic injectables effectively gags their businesses and limits the information prospective patients can receive about their care.

One of Australia's richest men Andrew Budzinski faces a class action over allegations that he and his company, IC Markets, misled thousands of everyday investors who may have collectively lost hundreds of millions of dollars trading in risky financial products.

PM Anthony Albanese announcing the ACCC to conduct a 12 month price inquiry into the supermarket industry.

It may seem abundantly clear grocery prices are going up as you unload your trolley, but determining supermarket price-gouging is more complicated than it might seem. 

Gas companies Woodside and Esso will supply extra gas to the east coast energy market in return for receiving higher prices, the federal government has announced.  

Consumers could be forgiven for asking themselves if it is safe to buy an apartment off the plan with issues frequently emerging in Sydney's building developments. But industry stakeholders say new laws protect prospective buyers.

Company directors could face legal action if they fail to produce credible emissions forecasts, under draft laws proposed by the federal government.

The federal government will follow the European Union and several other nations to develop a risk-based response to the rapid rise in use of artificial intelligence, setting down stricter rules for risky AI, while staying out of the way of low-risk tools.

A difficult environment can be "systemic", says an expert, but with a new law in place to support employee wellbeing, everyone can play a part in change. It first starts with knowing the signs.

Australia has a big car habit, and those cars often cause more road damage, pollute more and pose greater road safety risks. But advocates for reform say current tax laws actually incentivise Australians to buy big.

Complaints about scams to Australia's financial dispute resolution scheme nearly double in one year, amid warnings it is putting "unnecessary pressure" on the independent umpire.

Increases to welfare payments, tougher vaping laws and policy changes to Medicare are now in effect.

As cash use for everyday transactions declines, regulators ponder how soon Australia may go cashless or whether Australians may have to bear the costs of using cash.

The production of engineered stone will be banned in most Australian states and territories by mid-2024. Perth stonemason John Santoro says it should've happened years ago. 

Australia's competition watchdog urges the federal Treasury to endorse sweeping changes to merger laws, arguing the current regime harms consumers.

While the response to the reforms has been largely positive, the construction union says the timeline is frustrating.

The NT Environment Centre is referring the government's mining reforms to the territory's corruption commission.

Short-stay accommodation provider Airbnb is fined $15 million for tricking tens of thousands of customers into paying higher prices for years by falsely charging them in US dollars.

More than 10,000 businesses will be able to claim compensation after Australia Post realised it had incorrectly knocked back applications after a change to consumer protection laws.

State Premier Roger Cook says the reinstatement of individual union negotiations will allow for more flexibility and 'fair' increases.

The NT government-owned Power and Water Corporation failed to notify residents of a planned power outage, leaving four customers who require life support without power for almost 90 minutes.