Australia’s corporate watchdog has always measured its success by how many companies it drags into court.

Now, it’s put a number on it.

Starting this year, ASIC will aim to file at least 35 new civil actions per year, codifying the pace of its courtroom crackdowns. And it’s already hitting that target.

In 2024–25 it filed 38 cases. ASIC Chair Joe Longo boasted a 50% boost in investigation numbers and almost 20% more civil cases year-on-year. His message was clear: enforcement isn’t about fixing a single consumer complaint. It’s about outcomes that “reverberate across the market.”

The new quota caps a decade-long shift in ASIC’s playbook. From its cautious style in the mid 2010s, to the post-Royal Commission “why not litigate?” stance, ASIC has now settled on high-impact civil actions.

In 10 years, ASIC has swung from gentle settlements to record-breaking penalties. 

The numbers tell the full story: