👋 G’day
Today’s brief:
Lawyer struck off over 28 hours billed
First female SG appointed in WA
Rio revives $300bn merger
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WORD ON THE STREET
Timesheet scandal
If your NY resolution is to work harder, just remember that not all productivity hacks are made equal. A trainee supervisor at UK firm Tuckers Solicitors has been struck off after billing herself 28-hour days to chase a £70k bonus. The SDT called her timesheets “an impossibility”, with 7,500+ hours logged. Those figures were billed to the Legal Aid Agency, leaving it £98k out of pocket before the firm repaid the lot: Legal Cheek
Jean Shaw SC has been appointed WA’s first female Solicitor-General, stepping into the role on 5 Jan. A 23-year SSO veteran, she’s handled heavyweight constitutional work, including the Mineralogy Act challenge. Tony Buti calls it a milestone moment for the profession: Lawyers Weekly
HWLE Lawyers has boosted its internal growth, promoting 3 new partners and 65 staff across the firm. The partner nods span litigation, health and insurance, with Perth and Brisbane both scoring wins. Russell Mailler says the promo blitz marks HWLE’s next growth phase, powered by homegrown talent, not laterals: HWLE
Ashurst has picked up Brissy projects and energy partner Kate Muller from NRF. The hire targets capital-intensive work beyond renewables, spanning transmission, green metals and digital infra. Muller makes the jump as Ashurst ramps up energy capability ahead of its planned Perkins Coie merger: Ashurst
PRACTICE POINTS
Merger reform is live
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Merger Reform: Australia’s new mandatory ACCC clearance system is officially live, with last-minute amendments for the new merger control regime locked in. The regime captures acquisitions of control (on completion) of companies and unit trusts, as well as certain asset acquisitions, where monetary thresholds are met, and the target has an Australian nexus. Key tweaks in the final rules include revised asset, serial acquisition and control thresholds, plus broader exemptions. Notably, new voting power notification thresholds — catching some non-control stake builds — don’t start until 1 April 2026, giving businesses extra runway to assess exposure. Allens provides a snapshot of the recent tweaks and the timeline here: Allens
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Class Actions: In a recent decision, the High Court of Australia has confirmed that plaintiffs cannot recover litigation funding commissions as damages from defendants. The Court unanimously held that the 40% funding fee claimed by class action plaintiffs arising from the Sydney Light Rail nuisance was not a compensable loss. While the plaintiffs succeeded in private nuisance claims against Transport for NSW, the Court found funding commissions are neither damage to land nor losses consequential on that damage, and therefore fall outside the scope of recoverable nuisance damages. The decision shuts the door on attempts to shift litigation funding costs onto defendants in Australian class actions.
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Compliance: ASIC has launched civil penalty proceedings against BDO Audit and lead auditor Dean Just, alleging their audit reports for ASX-listed Dubber Corporation Limited between FY20 and FY22 were materially false or misleading. ASIC says BDO signed off on “true and fair” financial statements and compliance with Australian Auditing Standards despite alleged material misstatements and audit failures. The case follows Dubber’s 2024 disclosure of up to $26.6m in missing funds held by a third-party trustee and subsequent allegations of unauthorised use. ASIC has flagged auditor misconduct as a key enforcement priority, warning the case goes to market trust and audit integrity: ASIC
TALKING POINTS
Iran unrest
Did you hear…
Protests across Iran are spreading fast as the Islamic Republic edges toward a revolution. What began as backlash to a collapsing rial and 52% inflation has reignited chants of “Woman, Life, Freedom”, alongside anger over the mandatory hijab. More than 1,200 arrests and dozens of deaths have already been reported as Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s regime cracks down. Donald Trump has threatened US intervention if violence escalates, drawing furious pushback from Tehran and raising the stakes fast: Bloomberg, TDA
Also…
Work-obsessed culture is pushing people to go all-in on hobbies, and not in a cute pottery-class way. Burnt-out professionals are reshaping their lives around running, surfing, pickleball, chess, and even knitting, as jobs feel more fragile and demanding. The appeal is control, progress you can see, and an identity not tied to email pings. In a shaky job market, hobbies aren’t fluff, they’re the new form of agency: Business Insider
DEAL ROOM
Rio revives megamerger
🇬🇧 Rio Tinto has revived talks on a potential US$300bn merger with Glencore. It’s a move critics say would pull the miner even further from Australia as control shifts toward London. Analysts warn the deal could dilute Rio’s Australian focus, with options on the table including spinning off iron ore and coal assets onto the ASX while base metals sit offshore: AFR
💎 SkinKandy, the piercing & jewellery chain, is gearing up for a $400m ASX debut, with Barrenjoey and Morgans tapped to run a $200m IPO. Backed by Whiteoak and led by ex-Lovisa COO Dain Friis, the 88-store chain is being pitched as a mini-Lovisa with $100m-plus revenue: AFR
SECTOR SNAPSHOT
Meta wipes accounts
DIGGERS
🚜 Australia is creating a $1.2bn strategic critical minerals reserve, including antimony, gallium and rare earths. Treasurer Jim Chalmers will head to Washington to brief the US and allies. The plan is designed to secure supply for defence and clean energy, while reducing reliance on China and giving Australian miners more certainty during global supply shocks: The Australian
FIN
🏦 NAB is bringing branches back in a new format. National Australia Bank will trial “community hubs” and wealth centres that combine traditional banking with services like financial advice, legal help, and fraud support. It’s a response to political pressure over branch closures and keep face-to-face banking without returning to the old model: AFR
RETAIL + REAL ESTATE
🏠 Singapore-based investment trust, Singapore OUE REIT is chasing a 20% stake in Sydney’s Salesforce Tower, valuing the slice at $350m+ and putting the $1.8bn Sydney Place complex back in play. The deal underlines renewed appetite for prime CBD towers: The Australian
TECH + STARTUPS
📱 Meta has wiped more than 544k Instagram, Facebook and Threads accounts since Australia’s under-16 social media ban kicked in. At the same time, it blasted the law as ineffective. The company says blanket bans are pushing teens to less regulated apps and cutting them off from support networks, arguing app-store age checks would work better: AFR
JOBS
P.S.
