EY Australia is clawing back two months of parental leave pay from any staff who quit within a year of returning, effective July 1. Every Big 4 rival offers the same 26 weeks with no penalty. EY says it's reasonable given its investment in training and developing staff. Lawyers at Maurice Blackburn aren't convinced, flagging potential sex discrimination issues: AFR

⚖️ Regulatory: The ACCC has scored $67.7m over four years (plus $20.1m ongoing) in the federal budget to fund enforcement, with a further $15m+ for reforms covering unfair trading practices, consumer guarantees and product safety. The government expects to recoup $164.2m in penalty revenue from 2028–29, which says everything about how hard the ACCC intends to swing. Chair Cass-Gottlieb has flagged "high penalties" for deliberate conduct and senior executive accountability where compliance culture falls short: ACCC, Clayton Utz

⚖️ Disputes: What does it take to transfer proceedings to a different jurisdiction? In a recent case, Victorian Supreme Court transferred abuse proceedings brought by a former Prince Alfred College student to South Australia, despite the plaintiff arguing a return to Adelaide would cause psychological harm. The Court confirmed there's no onus on either party in a cross-vesting application. And if one forum is even slightly more appropriate, transfer is mandatory. The plaintiff's Victorian connections were thin, comprising only a cousin, aunt and uncle. That couldn't outweigh the weight of factors pointing to South Aus: the alleged conduct occurred there, the defendant is based there, most witnesses are there, and South Australian law governs: Mills Oakley

⚖️ Banking/Energy: Australia has plenty of renewable energy projects in the pipeline, but banks are increasingly saying no. Lenders who once backed projects on relatively optimistic assumptions are now demanding stronger contracts, clearer risk allocation and more equity from sponsors before they'll lend. The culprits are familiar: volatile energy prices, grid connection delays, weak offtake arrangements and unresolved grid risk. Debt is now settling at 60–70% gearing rather than pushing theoretical limits, and more equity is often what gets a deal across the line: Gilbert + Tobin

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Victorian teachers are about to become the best-paid in the country. The Allan government and the Australian Education Union are striking an in-principle deal worth up to 32% over four years. An experienced teacher goes from $118k to $151k by 2029, while early childhood educators get an average 39% lift: AFR

Sall Grover built Giggle for Girls as a women-only app, then blocked transgender woman Roxanne Tickle in 2021 after spotting what she called "male facial features" in a profile photo. Grover appealed the original 2024 finding against her, but the Federal Court wasn't having it. The Court dismissed the appeal, upgraded the finding from indirect to direct discrimination under the Sex Discrimination Act, and doubled Tickle's payout to $20k. Grover has flagged a High Court appeal: BBC

🚗 Honda and Nissan are edging toward a merger revival after their 2024 tie-up collapsed over Nissan's refusal to become a wholly-owned subsidiary. The tables have since turned: Honda posted its first annual loss since the 1940s, while Nissan scraped back to profit. Talks are reportedly active: Bloomberg

⛏️ Indonesian player Dilmar has emerged as frontrunner to acquire Anglo American's Queensland metallurgical coal portfolio, pipping Stanmore Resources and its consortium: The Australian

🏥 I-MED is keeping its options open on a $3bn exit. It’s appointed Zita Peach as chair, signalling the IPO track's alive. But investor Jardine Matheson is deep in diligence on the trade sale, advised by Rothschild and Allens: AFR