Government regulation of the market is designed to ensure market integrity, fair competition and protections for consumers, workers and shareholders. However, the ever increasing web of rules and regulations at every level of government, poses many challenges for business. Yet, understanding your regulatory obligations domestically and internationally is essential for any business.
We provide uncomplicated advice about your regulatory obligations to validate compliance and minimise the impacts that regulatory intervention, investigations and remediation can have on your business. This enables you to get on with your business. We understand the full lifecycle from proactively de-risking and understanding your obligations through to detecting and responding to enforcement proceedings and managing risks and reputational damage.
It is critical that your arrangements and transactions are structured in the best way possible to meet commercial and strategic goals, whilst ensuring they do not fall foul of the Competition and Consumer Act.
Our focus is on all aspects of the anti-competitive (antitrust) regulations, especially:
Businesses need be across their regulatory and non-regulatory obligations relating to their interactions with consumers. We provide a range of sector specific advice relating to consumer regulations including:
Bribery, corruption and corporate crime can have long-lasting reputational and revenue impacts on companies and staff. The extraterritorial reach of international laws such as the UK Bribery Act, the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and the increased powers of local law enforcement and regulators means that companies need to expect increased regulatory scrutiny, intervention and enforcement no matter where they do business.
We provide a comprehensive, end-to-end approach in matters involving bribery, corruption, fraud, money laundering, sanctions, cartels, false accounting, tax evasion and corporate manslaughter including:
Globalisation means that businesses are prone to legal, political and commercial risks and regulatory regimes.
We provide regulatory compliance and solutions for exporters, importers and investors including:
Developing and maintaining respected working relationships with regulators including ASIC, APRA, ACCC, FIRB, ATO, RBA, AUSTRAC, ASX and specialist sector regulators and Ombudsman including Therapeutic Goods Administration, Australian Energy Regulator, Australian Communications and Media Authority
Handling formal and informal requisitions (surveillance and investigations)
Document management
Conduct of internally commissioned investigations
Remediating regulatory shortcomings through product design and improvement, and management of compensation and redress schemes concerning affected consumers and other stakeholders
Enforcement proceedings
Public inquiries
Class actions
International merger clearance
Cartels, litigation and investigations