A shift towards harsher penalties for breaching the Australian Consumer Law

On 24 August 2018, the Federal Court imposed a $2.25 million penalty against Heinz for misleading conduct and false representations in relation to its Shredz products. On 23 August the Federal Parliament passed legislation to increase the maximum financial penalties for breaches of the Australian Consumer Law. While these new penalties are yet to take effect, they indicate a shift towards harsher penalties than those previously imposed by Australian courts and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).