ASIC has issued its first-ever stop order under the crowd-sourced funding (CSF) regime, blocking Hirehood’s raise on the VentureCrowd platform. The issue? Hirehood’s offer didn’t give investors ordinary shares directly. Instead, shares were to be held on bare trust by a related party of VentureCrowd—a nominee arrangement not allowed under CSF rules. ASIC also flagged non-compliance with disclosure rules, including missing details about Hirehood’s business model. The interim ban was made in the public interest to protect retail investors: ASIC

SA’s top judge is calling on lawyers and litigants to weigh in on how gen AI should be handled in litigation. The survey kicked off on 30 May, with written submissions due by 30 June. Justice Kourakis flagged both the risks and rewards of AI in courtrooms and wants feedback on how to adapt court rules and practices. Informal lunchtime chats with interested lawyers will also follow.

Calling all WA property lawyers - Landgate’s new 2025-26 fee schedule lands on 1 July, with updated search and lodgement charges set out in the Lands Regulations Amendment (Fees and Charges) Regulations 2025 (WA). The current fee structure holds until 30 June. Property lawyers should review the new schedule now to avoid surprises on post-July transactions: Landgate

With M&A volumes at 20-year lows, banks like BofA and EY are cutting or deferring junior roles, while Goldman Sachs now hires just 1% of 875,000 applicants. Pretty bad odds if you ask us. Some grads are pivoting early to PE, compliance and risk. Meanwhile, AI is replacing analysts, with recruiters questioning if they should “hire 100 grads or pay $300k for a licence.” Could law firms face the same squeeze? Financial Times

Holding Redlich has bulked up in planning and environment, hiring Wendy Evans (ex-Clayton Utz) in Brisbane and Andrew Iser (ex-Best Hooper Lawyers) in Melbourne. But it's also shedding its personal injury arm, with LHD Lawyers acquiring Redlich’s Work Injury Lawyers, including its 8 lawyers and 17 staff: Holding Redlich, Lawyers Weekly

Law firm Clayton Utz and KPMG are leading a probe into the Albanese government’s National Reconstruction Fund after a whistleblower alleged governance failures and toxic culture. Claims include FOI interference, dodgy hiring practices, and high staff turnover. With $15bn at stake and pressure to boost Aussie manufacturing, the fund’s integrity is now under serious scrutiny: Capital Brief

Just as migration surges, stamp duty and land tax surcharges are up to $160k in NSW for foreign investors. While the fed targets 1.2m homes in 5 years, states are taxing the capital needed to build. Median stamp duty now sits at a record $31,210, forcing home buyers to take on more debt, reduce their expectations or dodge the market entirely: The Australian

A Victorian man abused as a child has won $263k in damages after the Supreme Court found Waller Legal gave negligent and flawed advice, understating his claim’s value and wrongly claiming it faced “insurmountable obstacles”. Lawyers say the case sets a clear benchmark for how survivors should be advised — thoroughly, individually, and without defeatism: ABC

Albanese will meet President Trump at the G7 summit, with AUKUS and US tariffs on Aussie goods on the agenda. But back home, voters are sceptical—72% don’t trust Trump on global affairs, just edging out Xi Jinping at 71%, according to Lowy Institute polling. When asked who’d be a better partner for Australia? It’s a dead heat: Bloomberg

The ACCC's: merger fees of up to $1.4m are sparking backlash, with critics saying they’ll clash with the gov’s productivity agenda. Venture capital, PE, and property players warn the regime risks slowing dealflow and investment. White & Case’s Belinda Harvey also says Phase 2 fees could erode deal value, especially since other countries charge far less—Canada is C$88k and the UK is £40k-160k: AFR

Santos: may follow Oil Search off the ASX if Adnoc’s $30bn buyout clears FIRB. The bid lands just as Santos wraps up capex-heavy projects like Barossa and Pikka. As investors chase cap-light sectors, capital-intensive giants like Santos are vanishing, in line with a broader trend of ASX losing most of its large infra asset owners: The Australian

Amart: has snapped up Freedom Furniture, creating a $1bn retail giant backed by Quadrant with eyes on an ASX float. The merged group will run 126 stores across ANZ, chase $100m+ in annual earnings, and keep both brands separate (for now). Macquarie and Jarden ran the sales, with IPO talk bubbling for 2026: AFR

Greatland Gold: has priced its ASX IPO at the top end of its $6.40–$6.60 range, landing a $490m valuation. The deal includes a $50m raise and a Newmont sell-down after swapping its Telfer gold mine for Greatland equity. The stock lists June 24 and is set to join the ASX 200 from day one: The Australian

Woodside’s suing the US govt over a multi-billion dollar royalties brawl tied to old BHP-owned oil assets. The Aussie giant says US officials showed “bias” and “bad faith”, laughing in emails about making oil firms cough up. It’s now chasing a refund in court while simultaneously expanding its $17bn US LNG play. Awkward timing: AFR

Santos directors quietly upped their holdings just days before a $36.4bn takeover bid landed from ADNOC and Carlyle. Chair Keith Spence and three others bought in at ~$6; shares surged to $8 after the deal was disclosed. Now ASIC’s on alert, with calls to review the timing of trades ahead of the formal offer: AFR

Legacy banks are under pressure as 44% of young UK consumers say neo banks offer better tools, while 50% want help managing subscriptions. The new standard? Proactive, personalised mobile banking with in-app budgeting, fraud alerts and subscription control. Visa says it’s no longer a tech trend, it’s survival: Finance Magnates

Australian Payments Plus has partnered with Giesecke+Devrient to roll out Click to Pay with eftpos, a world-first that combines digital guest checkout with least-cost routing. Merchants can now bypass pricey card schemes online, slashing payment costs. With Google Wallet, ANZ and Suncorp already live, AP+ is eyeing a 2026 expansion. Big win for cost-conscious retailers: finextra

Cbus Property is in talks to take over Sydney’s troubled $1.8bn Halo tower, a stalled 55-storey hybrid timber skyscraper weighed down by $500m+ in private debt. If the deal goes ahead, it’d give Cbus a rare shot at controlling prime office supply, just as top-tier tenant demand rebounds: AFR

Coles, Woolies and the ACCC have now agreed on the facts behind hundreds of alleged sham discounts, clearing the path for trial. With ~500 promotions locked in, the court won’t waste time debating prices, discounts or dates—it's all about whether the supermarkets broke the law with their pricing tactics: The Australian

Funding for DEI and HR startups has cratered, with investment plunging from $535m in 2022 to just $155m in 2024 as the global backlash against diversity programs spills into VC land. Edtech's also copped it, dropping 84%. But climate and health startups are thriving, buoyed by AI, policy tailwinds and the promise of real-world impact: Capital Brief

Cloud Conformity founder Michael Watts — off the back of a $100m exit —has a new startup Circumvent, raising $9.2m from Paladin Capital to tackle alert fatigue in cloud security. The platform uses multi-agent AI to triage and resolve cyber risks automatically, freeing up DevSecOps teams. US HQ incoming, but the R&D brains stay in Oz: startupdaily