News: Legal
UFC Gyms silent on demise of Australian master franchisor but still looking for global expansion
The recent financial and legal troubles of UFC Gyms in Australia have not raised any form of comment from the Newport Beach, USA-based headquarters of the global franchise or...
Jul 20, 2023
Legal /
Finance /
Fitness
Sydney-based event planner gets 15 year jail term for fraud
Sydney event planner Helen Rosamond has been jailed for a maximum of 15 years after being found guilty of defrauding millions of dollars from NAB by falsifying and inflating...
Jul 20, 2023
Events /
Legal /
Finance
Fair Work Ombudsman recovers more than $684,000 from Melbourne hospitality sector
The Fair Work Ombudsman has recovered $684,543 in wages for 1,004 underpaid workers after investigating employers in Melbourne’s hospitality precincts. Fair Work Inspectors...
Jul 20, 2023
Legal /
Hospitality /
Finance
Victorian Government facing significant penalty costs for Commonwealth Games exit
Following yesterday’s announcement that it was relinquishing its hosting rights for the 2026 Commonwealth Games, the Victorian Government is reported to have entered “delicate”...
Jul 18, 2023
Events /
Sport /
Legal /
Finance /
Government
Ineffective laws see nature in Australia getting sicker, not healthier
The Australian Conservation Foundation is reporting that one year on from the release of the damning State of the Environment report – and approaching the mid-point of the...
Jul 17, 2023
Legal /
Government /
Environment
Victoria Police investigate arson attack at Melbourne gym
A popular mixed-martial arts gym in the south eastern Melbourne suburb of Dandenong has been destroyed in what Victoria Police suspect was a “targeted” and “deliberate” arson...
Jul 16, 2023
Safety /
Legal /
Fitness
World cycling’s governing body adopts rules banning female transgender athletes from women’s events
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing body for world cycling, has revealed its decision that female transgender athletes who transitioned after male puberty will no...
Jul 15, 2023
Sport /
Legal
Man charged on 140 counts of allegedly indecently recording children at Perth aquatic and recreation centres
Following his arrest in May for allegedly indecently recording at least five boys under the age of 13 at the Craigie Leisure Centre, a Perth man has been charged with a total of...
Jul 13, 2023
Safety /
Legal /
Recreation /
Aquatics /
Security
Prosecutor alleges White Island owners put profits before safety prior to December 2019 tragedy
Visitors to New Zealand’s Whakaari/White Island were not given any health and safety information in the lead up to the volcano’s deadly eruption in December 2019. The opening...
Jul 12, 2023
Tourism /
Safety /
Legal /
Attractions /
Environment
World Athletics questions European Court of Human Rights decision on Caster Semenya
In the wake of the European Court of Human Rights decision that double Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya was discriminated against by World Athletics, the global body for...
Jul 11, 2023
Sport /
Legal
Double Olympic gold medallist Caster Semenya wins appeal at European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights has found that double Olympic 800m champion Caster Semenya was discriminated against by rules forcing her to lower her testosterone levels in...
Jul 11, 2023
Sport /
Legal
Whakaari owners and tour operators face Court on 2019 White Island fatalities charges
After more than two years of legal process, a group of defendants are today facing the Auckland District Court at the start of what is expected to be a lengthy trial on charges...
Jul 10, 2023
Tourism /
Safety /
Legal /
Recreation
Administrators report that UFC Gym Australia’s debt exceeds $15 million
The parent companies behind UFC Gym Australia, which entered administration at the end of May, are understood to have accumulated more than $15 million in debt. Having been...
Jul 10, 2023
Legal /
Finance /
Fitness
Xponential Fitness responds to critical report
Xponential Fitness, the largest global franchisor of boutique fitness brands, has responded firmly to critical report on its performance by financial services blogger Fuzzy...
Jul 7, 2023
Legal /
Finance /
Fitness
Consumer group expresses concern about use of facial recognition technology at major Australian stadia
An analysis by consumer group CHOICE of security operations being used at major concert venues and sporting events around Australia has revealed that facial recognition...
Jul 5, 2023
Sport /
Legal /
Venues /
Technology /
Security
Court finds Japanese officials guilty in Tokyo Olympics bribery scandal
The latest in a series of trials of executives and officials accused of corruption surrounding the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has seen consultant Joji Matsui found guilty of taking...
Jul 5, 2023
Events /
Sport /
Legal /
Finance /
Venues
Half a billion bots competing with consumers for Taylor Swift tickets
With ticket sales for singing star Taylor Swift’s February 2024 concerts at the MCG and Sydney’s Accor Stadium having been among the fastest selling in Australia history, it has...
Jun 29, 2023
Legal /
Technology /
Entertainment /
Retail /
Ticketing
Promoters announce new Taylor Swift dates as NSW Fair Trading steps in on ticket resales
Following historically unprecedented presale demand for tickets for Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour Australian dates in February next year, promoter Frontier Touring has announced...
Jun 28, 2023
Legal /
Technology /
Entertainment /
Retail /
Ticketing
Victorian Government announces crack down on ticket scalpers
In the wake of reports that tickets for Taylor Swift's 2024 concert dates in Australia are being resold for massive markups, the Victorian Government announced that it will...
Jun 27, 2023
Legal /
Government /
Venues /
Entertainment /
Ticketing
Calls for enforcement of anti-scalping laws in wake of soaring resale prices for Taylor Swift concerts
Consumer advocates are calling for unified national laws against scalping and for NSW and Victoria to enforce their current legislation following indications that tickets for...
Jun 27, 2023
Legal /
Entertainment /
Ticketing
UFC Gym Australia’s Maz Hagemrad declared not ‘to be a reliable or credible witness’ by Federal Court Judge
The recent judgement of Federal Court Justice Thomas Thawley in a case between three franchisees and the Australian franchisor of UFC Gyms, has seen Mazen ‘Maz’ Hagemrad,...
Jun 26, 2023
Legal /
Finance /
Fitness
Australian franchisor of UFC Gyms enters administration
Just weeks after being ordered by the Federal Court of Australia to pay $5 million to three former franchisees, the Ultimate Franchising Group Pty Ltd (UFG), UFC Gym Prospect...
Jun 25, 2023
Legal /
Finance /
Fitness
Drug Free Sport New Zealand aims ‘to get doping out of sport’
Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) Chief Executive Nick Paterson has said working in partnership with agencies around the world is “key to ridding sport of drug cheats”....
Jun 25, 2023
Sport /
Legal /
Wellness
WAIS provides update on implementation of Sport Integrity Australia report recommendations
Found to have abused women who trained as gymnasts over three decades by a Sport Integrity Australia report released last year, the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS)...
Jun 21, 2023
Sport /
Safety /
Legal