Bridget Wall, Mitch Stein and guest Helen Townley, the National Directory of Policy and Accreditation at the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), discuss changes to AHPRA’s social media guidance to clarify the types of notifications that are more likely to trigger an investigation, for example publishing false or misleading information or breaching confidentiality. They also discuss AHPRA’s changes to advertising guidelines, particularly in relation to cosmetic surgery and cosmetic services.

Scott Butler, Alison Choy Flannigan and Ed Paton discuss the regulatory changes, financial challenges and M&A consolidation being experienced by the aged care sector. They outline specific regulatory issues affecting M&A in the aged care sector, why directors need to be aware of the safe harbour provisions, and differences between distressed and non-distressed transactions.

Partners Nicole Tumiati and Jacqui Barrett discuss how the challenging economic environment is impacting on the retail industry. Cost of living and high interest rates mean consumers are cutting back on discretionary spend, while retailers are trying to manage high operational costs, such as supplier contracts, leases, insurance, cyber risk, supply chain issues and retail crime. Nicole and Jacqui outline how retailers can manage these impacts by being innovative and resourceful, such as re-examining contracts with suppliers, pivoting into online offerings, managing stock levels better, streamlining the business if there are multiple streams, or buying complementary businesses to secure supply chains.

Bridget Wall, Mitch Stein and guest Luke Kelly, a pharmacist and Pharmaceutical Society of Australia NSW Branch President, discuss major reforms to Australia’s regulation of vaping products, which has changed the way vapes can be imported, manufactured, supplied and advertised in Australia, and the impact this has had on pharmacists, as all vapes and vaping products, regardless of whether they contain nicotine or not, now only able to sold in a pharmacy for the purpose of helping people quit smoking or manage nicotine dependence.

Partners Mark Petrucco and Stefan Fenk discuss the stresses the building construction industry has experienced over the past 12-18 months, and impacts on head contractors, subcontractors, project owners and developers. With cost pressures increasing insolvency risks, they discuss voluntary administration, ipso facto provisions, how to mitigate risks of engaging parties that may become insolvent down the track, and what pockets of the market have been more robust against insolvency risks.

Bridget Wall, Mitch Stein and Alison Choy Flannigan discuss Australia’s booming medicinal cannabis market. What activity are we seeing from regulators including the Therapeutic Goods Administration and AHPRA? What is best practice for medical and pharmacy practitioners when prescribing and dispensing, and does telehealth pose any risks? They also outline tips for practitioners on how to best prepare their practices to appropriately and legally dispense medicinal cannabis.

Mitch Stein and Bridget Wall discuss recent prosecutions against health practitioners across various state tribunals and what areas regulators, such as the HCCC, OHO and AHPRA (Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency), are focusing on. The most common complaints are around clinical care, inadequate or inappropriate procedures, and communication. Mitch and Bridget discuss what practitioners should have top of mind if they are subject to a disciplinary investigation and why good contemporaneous note-taking is vital.

John Hutchinson is joined by Sevan Gore and Rebecca Gilbert to explore the ins and outs of reverse takeovers and backdoor listings. They clarify what these terms mean, examine a recent example and weigh the pros and cons of this path to listing. A must-listen for those interested in unique capital market strategies.

Emma Bechaz and guest Garry Andrews, executive director of construction consultancy company Anvelo, unpack some common misconceptions about the role of superintendents in construction projects, the dual nature of their role, common problems that can arise, and how to minimise the risk of encountering disputes.

John Hutchinson is joined by James Morvell and Caitlin Byrne to break down capital raising issue pricing restrictions for listed and unlisted funds. They dive into essential terms like net asset value (NAV), net tangible assets (NTA) and issue pricing for new units and explain applicable restrictions under the Corporations Law and the ASX Listing Rules, including the key differences between listed and unlisted funds. Whether you’re new to fund management or looking for a refresher, this episode is packed with valuable insights.