Australian business communications have been modernized with effect from 15 September 2023 by amendments to the Corporations Act which allow all documents under the Act to be signed electronically and most documents to be sent electronically. This is a welcome development building upon gradual progress in this area since mid 2020.
The laws for electronic execution of documents by companies, settled in early 2022, are not changing.

Baker McKenzie’s Duties and Liabilities of Directors of Australian Companies is a comprehensive and timely guide for directors of Australian companies. Newly launched in September 2020, it reflects key issues for directors to consider in the current corporate governance landscape, while outlining their core legal obligations. Matters covered in this guide include…

ASX has issued some helpful and pragmatic guidance in relation to continuous disclosure obligations in the COVID-19 environment. Key aspects of the guidance are: ASX recognises the challenges for listed companies in satisfying their disclosure obligations in this rapidly evolving and highly uncertain situation. The key issue remains that disclosure…

As COVID-19 continues to spread and market uncertainty surrounding it persists and intensifies, a number of ASX-listed companies have taken the unusual step of withdrawing, deferring payment of, or reducing, their previously announced dividends in order to preserve cash for the uncertain times ahead. Last week, for example, saw companies…