Sparkebeat - Health Law Update - Issue 14

07 November 2025

Marie-Clare Elder
Partner
Sparke Helmore Lawyers

Marie-Clare Elder
Partner
Sparke Helmore Lawyers
t: +61 2 9260 2491

Marie-Clare joined the Commercial Insurance team as a partner in January 2024. Marie-Clare has been admitted to practice for 20 years and is a health law specialist, with a long history of working in the industry. She is based in Sydney.

Marie Panuccio
Special Counsel
Sparke Helmore Lawyers

Marie Panuccio
Special Counsel
Sparke Helmore Lawyers
t: +61 2 9260 2483

Marie specialises in the defence of claims for professional negligence, coronial inquiries, professional conduct complaints and disciplinary proceedings and criminal matters on behalf of medical indemnity insurers, medical practitioners, nurses and healthcare facilities.

Welcome to the fourteenth issue of the Health Law Update – Sparkebeat, where Sparke Helmore’s market leading national Health team brings you the latest in local news and knowledge from across Australia and abroad.

From AI scribes to surrogacy reform, this edition dives deep into the legal pulse of Australia's healthcare landscape. We explore the ethical and legal frontiers of artificial intelligence in clinical consultations, dissect the fallout from donor missteps at Monash IVF, and unpack the evolving standards for revisiting historical abuse settlements. Ground-breaking surrogacy reforms in WA, a new compensation pathway under the new Aged Care Act 2024, and the High Court’s fresh take on reasonableness all signal a sector in flux. Add to that a spotlight on cybersecurity, a tragic inquest, and professional boundary breaches, this issue delivers a comprehensive snapshot of the challenges and changes shaping healthcare law today.

We hope you find this issue informative and useful. If there are any topics you would like us to cover in the future, please contact a member of our national Health team.

We would like to acknowledge the contribution of Mark Doepel, Aimee Dash, Kerri Thomas, Sophie Pennington, Jehan Mata, Mark Sainsbury, Lauren McHugh, Lani Carter, Jason Kwan, Emily McKeowen, Alexandra Kuczerawy, Dinah Amrad, Yumi Oh, Lauren Walker, Ella Sourdin Brown, Fenella, Selvaratnam, Anthony Tsecagias, Sophie Whittaker.

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