The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said competition by smaller airlines was essential ‘now, more than ever’ as the airline industry undergoes a major upheaval due to the coronavirus and the administration of Virgin Airlines, and vowed to continue its probe of Qantas’ 19.9 per cent stake in Alliance Airlines.
Uber has once again attempted to put the brakes on a landmark class action which alleges the ride-sharing giant engaged in a conspiracy to steal business from taxi and limousine drivers across four states, telling a court of appeal that the trial judge wrongly departed from prevailing laws.
The ACCC has lost its bid to stay a cartel appeal by Indonesian airline PT Garuda, with a judge finding the competition watchdog had not shown the airline acted in contempt of court by failing to pay a $19 million fine.
A judge has granted Qantas an injunction temporarily blocking the Fair Work Commission from hearing a case brought by the union for the airline’s stood-down aircraft maintenance engineers, saying the issues raised in the case had potentially wide ramifications for all Australian businesses amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Logistics provider Toll Group says hackers who breached it systems last week accessed employee data and information on commercial agreements with current and former enterprise customers.
The ACCC has come up short in its appeal of a ruling that dismissed its challenge to Pacific National $205 million acquisition of Aurizon’s Acacia Ridge Terminal in Queensland, with the Full Federal Court also releasing Pacific National from an undertaking given to the court.
Facing the threat of regulatory action and a possible class action, Flight Centre will refund thousands of customers who were charged a $300 fee for cancelling travel plans because of government restrictions to combat the coronavirus.
The Fair Work Commission has lavished praise on a Herbert Smith Freehills lawyer for his persuasive advocacy skills in representing transport company Greyhound in unfair dismissal proceedings.
The Queensland government is seeking court orders that put dam operators Seqwater and Sunwater on the hook for the vast majority of damages after a class action judgment found negligence in the lead up to the state’s 2011 floods that destroyed 2,000 homes.
The COVID-19 pandemic and government social distancing restrictions were reasons to be flexible in applying and adapting the law, the judge overseeing the administration of Virgin Australia has said in exempting administrators from liability for unpaid leases and allowing Thursday’s meeting of the airlines’ creditors to be held by teleconference.