How far would you go to chase up unpaid fees? Well, one Queensland lawyer forged a costs agreement, then complained to the police that her own client committed a crime. She then told police her own client had committed a crime for failing to disclose his bankruptcy before "signing" the very document she'd fabricated. The client had actually disclosed his bankruptcy in writing. QCAT branded her conduct "incomprehensible and contemptible", flagging the real risk of a wrongful conviction: Lawyers Weekly

⚖️ Corporate: The Star Casino fight isn’t over yet. Matthias Bekier and Paula Martin, Star Entertainment’s former CEO and chief legal officer, have lodged appeals against Justice Michael Lee’s penalty orders. Lee had hit them with a combined $1.1m in penalties and lengthy disqualifications for failing to act on ‘obvious’ money laundering risks tied to junket operator Suncity. Notably, Lee found the penalties were ‘materially less severe’ than warranted, given ASIC’s ‘generous’ earlier deals with former CFO Harry Theodore and ex-casino chief Greg Hawkins. The grounds of appeal aren’t public yet: Lawyerly

⚖️ Regulatory: The ACCC has secured refunds of over $270k for more than 4,500 customers after an investigation into Origin Energy’s ‘Ongoing Saver’ plan. The plan allegedly charged some customers more than its basic plan, despite promising lower rates for the plan’s life. The probe stemmed from a CHOICE designated complaint about energy retailers overstating savings. Origin hasn’t admitted any Australian Consumer Law breach. But it will refund affected customers roughly $60 on average, ditch the ‘Ongoing Saver’ plan entirely, and avoid using plan names implying savings unless they’re actually baked in: ACCC

⚖️ Employment/Tax: The Full Federal Court has dismissed the Commissioner of Taxation's appeal in Commissioner of Taxation v Baya Casal. Ms Casal, an early learning centre assistant, was offered redeployment with 20 to 40% fewer hours after a restructure. She declined and was paid out. The Court agreed that cut was severe enough to make her actual position redundant, meaning she got the more generous 'genuine redundancy payment' tax treatment, rather than a standard termination payout. Crucially, the Court stressed there's no mathematical formula, it's a holistic assessment of facts and circumstances: Allens

Grab your Penfolds while it lasts. Australia's wine grape crush has hit its smallest haul in over 25 years, down 19% to 1.27 million tons, as shrinking demand and shocking weather gut the industry. The 2026 vintage is worth 26% less at $837m, with red grapes copping most of the fall. Treasury Wine Estates is already pivoting to luxury whites to survive: Bloomberg

Albanese wants Australia to be an AI leader, not just a "data warehouse for AI products made overseas". Under his new AI rules, data centres will be required to generate as much power as they use. He’s also flagged a new copyright fix letting rights holders choose if (and how they're paid) when their work trains AI models. Business Council of Australia and Angus Taylor reckon it's regulatory overreach: AFR

📈 The ASX is so back, adding 100 new listings worth a combined $32.6bn in the year to June — the strongest tally since 2022's boom. Listings jumped 45% on last year, though still shy of the 10-year average of 116. IPO proceeds held flat at $5.6bn, while follow-on raisings climbed 20% to $37.8bn: Capital Brief

💰 Perpetual has scored a sweetened takeover offer from Swedish private equity firm EQT, lifting its non-binding bid to $22.07 a share and valuing the wealth manager at $2.55bn. That's up from the $21.64 offer the board knocked back earlier this month for being highly conditional and undervalued: Capital Brief