Regulatory Advisory, Investigations, Inquiries and Disputes

We are results-orientated, rather than process driven, to assist our clients arrive at an end point sooner.

The Australian regulatory landscape is becoming increasingly complex, with significant legislative reforms affecting Australian businesses, including the financial services industry, having recently commenced and a range of active regulatory bodies including:

• The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the national competition, consumer, fair trading and product safety regulator.
• The Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC), Australia’s corporate and financial services regulator responsible for regulating Australian corporates, markets, financial services, and consumer credit businesses.
• The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), Australia’s prudential regulator which supervises institutions across the banking, insurance and superannuation sectors.
• The Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC), an Australian government financial intelligence agency responsible for monitoring financial transactions to identify money laundering, organised crime, tax evasion, welfare fraud and terrorism financing.
• The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO), Australia’s workplace regulator.
• The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), Australia’s regulator for privacy and freedom of information.

We are market-leading experts in regulatory advice matters, with a particular passion for life and general insurance and a dedication to delivering pragmatic solutions to the most complex challenges and opportunities faced by the industry. We specialise in advising on technical regulatory matters arising in an array of contexts, including financial services and credit licensing, financial product design, disclosure and distribution, market conduct and various consumer protection regimes. We also advise on matters of governance, executive accountability (FAR) and prudential risk management.

Our team also represents parties that appear before regulators in investigations (including responding to document production notices and attending examinations) and in subsequent enforcement action. This includes civil penalty proceedings and criminal prosecutions arising from alleged misconduct in financial markets. We are skilled in conducting internal investigations and breach analysis, including large scale or targeted remediation projects. We also advise insurers on exposures arising from regulatory activity for their commercial insureds.

You can view the regulatory section (pages 7-14) of our SparkeWatch publication here.