Oceania: Insurance

The NSW Fair Trading and Building Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 has passed both houses and received assent, introducing significant reforms to building regulation and insurance requirements. Key changes include expanded coverage for Decennial Liability Insurance, enhanced powers for NSW Fair Trading and the Building Commission, and modifications to professional indemnity insurance exemptions for building practitioners. While some provisions take immediate effect, major reforms including the DLI expansion

The security partnership represents a transformational opportunity, but the technology comes with regulatory and supply chain challenges.

Since the guide was first published in March 2026, significant developments have emerged across the medical, sporting, regulatory and litigation landscape.

The Supreme Court of Victoria has confirmed that where a defendant, in cases brought under section 52 of the Wrongs Act 1958 (Vic), raises a hypothetical counterfactual on the question of causation, the onus is on the plaintiff to prove every element of its own case, including proving that hypothetical counterfactual ought not be accepted.

As the Middle East conflict continues to disrupt global energy markets, Australian businesses are confronting a familiar threat in an unfamiliar form. This is not a direct war risk in the traditional sense. It is something more insidious, a fuel driven economic shock that is rapidly cascading into balance sheets, boardrooms and ultimately insurance claims.

The chapter provides a practical overview of the legal, regulatory and market issues shaping insurance disputes in Australia.