Key developments
- Joint Costs Advisory Committee inquiry
- Review of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW)
- Sunsetting of the National Redress Scheme
- Strengthening the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth)
- An accreditation scheme for Children’s Contact Services
- Horizon 2 of the 2023-2030 Australian Cyber Security Strategy
- Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 – question on notice
- Reform to non-compete clauses and other restraints on workers
- Investing in cheaper, cleaner energy and the net zero transformation
- Creating a more dynamic and resilient economy
- The minimum age of criminal responsibility and doli incapax
- Legislative changes to the NSW Child Protection Register
- Federal Court review of digital practices and procedures
- Review of Electronic Lodgment Network Operator service fees
- Proposed landlord offence relating to illicit tobacco sales in NSW
- Proposed amendments to the Administrative Review Tribunal Rules 2024
Joint Costs Advisory Committee Inquiry 2025
The Costs and Family Law Committees contributed to a Law Council submission to the Joint Costs Advisory Committee in relation to its 2025 Inquiry into Legal Practitioners’ Scale of Costs.
In our submission, we agreed with the Law Council that some of the scales of costs across the federal courts have failed to keep pace with actual costs incurred by parties, and do not reflect the value of the intellectual work undertaken by lawyers, current market conditions and changes in the technology used by practitioners. We supported an increase to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (‘FCFCOA’) scales to similar scale charges as detailed in the Federal Court Schedule 3 scale and expressed the view that scales and fees generally require more regular and objective review to ensure allowable costs/fees keep pace with developments in the market.
