This episode dives into the intersection of business, law, community, and society, focusing on complex mental health in the workplace. Special guest Rachel Green brings her lived experience and leadership perspective as CEO of SANE Australia, one of the nation’s leading mental health advocacy organizations.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Rachel’s career highlights and motivations, including the impact of building new digital services for people with complex mental health needs
• Challenges in Australia’s funding landscape for mental health, and the shift toward digital innovation
• SANE Australia’s lived-experience-led approach to supporting people and families affected by complex mental health
• Frameworks like CHIME (Connection, Hope, Identity, Meaning, Empowerment) and their role in recovery and workplace participation
• The reality and impact of stigma in Australian workplaces and ways to foster more inclusive cultures
• Positive and negative effects of technology and hybrid work on employee mental health
• Innovative practices like quarterly breaks and incentivized leave to support wellbeing
• The future of mentally healthy workplaces: leadership’s role, structural change, and continuous improvement
• How organizations and individuals can support SANE Australia, including upcoming initiatives like the national stigma report card and opportunities for partnership, volunteering, and workplace giving

Please note that while Dan Creasey has left KWM, he remains deeply connected to the important issues explored in these episodes. His insights continue to be invaluable in our discussions.

In this episode of the It’s Public podcast, Daniel Natale sits down with David Friedlander, Jennifer Cheung and Rob Kelly to discuss the landmark $14 billion Brickworks–Soul Patts merger - a deal that ended more than half a century of cross-ownership. The conversation explores how the parties found valuation common ground in a scrip-for-scrip transaction, and how capital markets stepped up to support the deal.

They discuss:

• The history of the cross-shareholding and how it endured for more than five decades (despite criticism for limiting transparency and shareholder value)
• The 2025 merger itself and the innovative ‘top hat’ structure
• The $1.4 billion capital raising that supported the merger
• The current ASX Listing Rules consultation on shareholder approval requirements – and how this could pave the way for more deals of this kind.

Read the full third edition of It’s Public here: It's Public - KWM

Duration: 27 minutes

Presenters:

• Meredith Paynter (Partner, Mergers and Acquisitions)
• Rhys Casey (Partner, Mergers and Acquisitions)
• Lizzie Knight (Partner, Mergers and Acquisitions
• Jason Watts (Partner, Mergers and Acquisitions)

Overview:
The authors of the KWM Directions 2025 Report, Meredith Paynter, Rhys Casey, Lizzie Knight and Jason Watts, delve into the latest findings on what is ‘top of mind’ for Australian businesses. This episode is packed with insights on how Australian directors and senior business leaders are thinking about the adoption of AI, corporate culture and tackling red tape. 

To read more, download the KWM Directions 2025 Report.

Key Points Discussed:

1. Survey results on the short- and medium-term priorities of Australian directors and senior business leaders, including the ongoing focus on profitability, and improving productivity growth.
2. AI strategies and barriers to implementation across Australian businesses.
3. Geopolitical and geo-economic risks, and how businesses are scenario planning while maintaining optimism.
4. Cutting red tape to help drive productivity growth.
5. Culture at an inflection point, as the focus on innovation and AI overtakes the focus on corporate culture as a strategic priority for the first time in our survey history.

Duration: 12.41

Host: Sam Farrands, KWM Head of Projects

Guest: Serafina Muryanti, ABNR, Indonesia

Summary:

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are fuelling Indonesia’s infrastructure growth across sectors including transport, telecommunications, water, healthcare and more.

KWM’s Head of Projects, Sam Farrands, speaks with Serafina Muryanti, Partner at leading Indonesian law firm ABNR, about the country’s evolving PPP landscape and the opportunities it presents for foreign investors.

Key topics: 

• The growing role of PPPs in Indonesia’s next wave of infrastructure development
• The current regulatory framework, including Presidential Regulation No. 38 of 2015
• Unique aspects of Indonesia's PPP model, such as fiscal support mechanisms and government guarantees
• What foreign investors need to know about stakeholder engagement in Indonesian projects
• Emerging opportunities across key sectors - water, transport, waste, healthcare and housing
• Practical tips for partnering with government and local investors.

You can read their key takeaways in full here: https://kwm.digital/ppp-indonesia

For more regional insights, subscribe to KWM's View from Asia: https://kwm.digital/subscribe-view-from-asia

King & Wood Mallesons’ annual Class Actions in Australia report has become a defining source of insight into Australia’s evolving litigation landscape. 

In this episode, Partners Moira Saville and Peta Stevenson unpack the major findings from the 2024/25 Review, exploring the record numbers, landmark judgments and emerging risks shaping class action activity nationwide.

In this episode they discuss: 

• The story behind this year’s record filings and settlements
• The High Court’s role in redefining class closure powers and funding models
• The growing reach of privacy and employment claims
• What recent judgments mean for governance, disclosure and executive accountability 

Listen now and read the full report The Review: Class Actions in Australia 2024/2025 available here.

Hosts: Tim Sumner, Adam Black

Duration: 18.25

Summary: In this episode of Power Perspectives, KWM Energy partners Tim Sumner and Adam Black delve into the recently released Queensland Energy Roadmap. They explore what this roadmap means for the Queensland energy market and the opportunities it presents for clients and stakeholders.

Key Topics Discussed:

• Overview of the Queensland Energy Roadmap: Understanding the Plan's focus on affordability, reliability, and sustainability and the changes the 2025 Roadmap makes from the 2022 Queensland Energy and Jobs Plan
• Energy Mix: The blending of renewable and conventional generation to meet energy needs in Queensland. This includes strategically planning for the continued presence of coal in the energy mix and the short to medium term necessity of gas for firming renewables, with potential pumped hydro into the future
• Private Sector Investment: Encouraging private sector involvement in Queensland's energy transition to ease pressure on the State’s balance sheet. The unique features of Queensland’s energy market due to the lack of historical privatisation
• Green and amber light projects: Discussion around immediate and medium to long term energy and infrastructure pipeline, including the more cautious approach being taken towards large pumped hydro projects
• Transmission and Regional Energy Hubs: The strategic shift from renewable energy zones to market-led regional energy hubs
• Role of QIC: Understanding QIC's investment banking-type role in facilitating private sector involvement and structuring deals.

Tune in to discover how Queensland's energy roadmap is shaping the future of energy in the region and the strategic opportunities for private sector involvement in the transition.

In this episode of Power Perspectives, KWM’s Energy Partners Rod Smythe, Vishal Ahuja and Shirley Cheng unpack Australia’s newly proposed 2035 climate targets and what they mean for the energy sector. 

Drawing on insights from a recent KWM Energy Insight Series event featuring Matt Kean, Chair of the Climate Change Authority, and Nevenka Codevelle, CEO of ASL, the discussion explores the practical challenges of achieving a 62–70% emissions reduction from 2005 levels and the scale of the transition required to meet those goals. 

Key Topics Discussed

• How Australia’s new 2035 climate targets were set and their implications for energy generation
• The electricity industry’s role in delivering more than half of the required reductions
• The scale of investment and build needed, six-fold growth in storage and tripled solar capacity
• Challenges around transmission, approvals, workforce and social licence
• Financing the transition through policy clarity and government underwriting

Tune in to hear how the energy industry can bridge the gap between policy ambition and delivery and what needs to change to make the 2035 targets achievable 

Duration: 22.29

Host: Katherine Ke, KWM Register Foreign Lawyer

Guest: Duong Thi Mai Huong, Frasers Law Company Partner, Vietnam

Summary:

Vietnam is changing how personal data is protected. The new law, effective from January 2026, will affect local and foreign businesses. 

In the latest episode of KWM’s View from Asia, Katherine Ke and Duong Thi Mai Huong unpack the new rules and what they mean for anyone doing business in Vietnam. They discuss the scope of the law, what counts as consent, who needs to comply, what documents must be filed and the real risk of penalties. 

How does the law compare to others in Asia - and what should you do now? You can read their key takeaways in full here: https://kwm.digital/data-protection-vietnam

Key topics:

• Vietnam’s journey towards data protection and an overview of the new law — Law No. 91/2025/QH15 on Personal Data Protection (PDPL)
• Extra-territorial reach and implications for foreign businesses
• The strict requirements around consent — what counts, how to prove it, and why it matters
• Compliance obligations, including mandatory data impact assessments
• The consequences of non-compliance — with significant penalties on the horizon.

Tune in to hear what this means for your business and why planning ahead is essential.

For more regional insights, subscribe to KWM's View from Asia: https://kwm.digital/subscribe-view-from-asia

Hosts: Nicola Yeomans (KWM Partner & Co-Head of Private Capital) and Will Heath (KWM Partner)
Duration: [16:38]

Summary:
Asian capital is increasingly shaping Australia’s biggest deals. In this episode of KWM’s View from Asia, Nicola Yeomans and Will Heath share insights from the AFR Asia Summit — exploring inbound investment trends, key sectors and the regulatory landscape.

They discuss why Japanese, Singaporean and other Asian investors are active in Australia, the growing role of Singapore as a financial hub, and how intra-Asia investment is expanding. Regulatory developments and sector hotspots like data centres are also in focus. You can read their key takeaways in full here: https://www.kwm.com/global/en/insights/latest-thinking/asias-capital-is-on-the-move-the-view-from-australia-and-singapore.html  

Key topics:

• How Asian capital is driving Australia’s largest deals
• Inbound investments to Australia from Japan, Singapore and beyond
• Sector hotspots — from data centres to digital assets
• The regulatory backdrop — FIRB, ACCC and deal timelines
• Intra-Asia investment growth and Singapore’s role as a regional hub.

Listen in for a clear take on Asia’s capital flows — and what they mean for your next move. 

For more regional insights, subscribe to KWM's View from Asia: https://landing.kwm.com/Subscribe-view-from-asia

In this episode of the NEXT KWM Responsible Business Podcast, hosts Clem Johnson and Dan Creasey explore how businesses can lead meaningful, lasting change by learning from nature and embracing adaptive networks. Joined by special guests Sarah Downey (CEO, Shared Value Project Australia and New Zealand) and Leith Sharp (Director, Executive Education in Sustainability Leadership, Harvard University), the conversation delves into the intersection of business, law, community, and society.

Key topics discussed:

1. The power of adaptive networks and collective intelligence in driving organizational change
2. How biomimicry and indigenous knowledge can inspire innovation and resilience
3. The importance of authentic leadership, psychological safety, and storytelling in embedding sustainability
4. Overcoming barriers to integrating sustainability into core business strategy
5. Real-world examples of change agents and the “squiggle” journey of bringing ideas to life

Whether you’re a business leader, sustainability professional, or change agent, this episode offers practical insights and inspiration for shaping a better, more sustainable future.

Tune in, subscribe, and join the conversation! #Sustainability #Leadership

Please note that while Dan Creasey has left KWM, he remains deeply connected to the important issues explored in these episodes. His insights continue to be invaluable in our discussions.