King & Wood Mallesons’ annual report, The Review: Class Actions in Australia 2024/2025, charts a record-breaking year for class actions - from unprecedented settlements to landmark High Court rulings.
Between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025, Australia’s class actions activity reached new heights, with 79 new filings - the highest on record - and over $1.9 billion in settlements approved, plus a further $1.5 billion awaiting approval.
Key highlights include:
- Record-breaking settlements: Over $1.9 billion in settlements approved, the highest on record and more than the previous two years combined, with a further $1.5 billion awaiting approval.
- High Court has its say: Five landmark decisions redefining closure powers, funding models and measures of loss.
- More actions, broader scope: 79 new filings, spanning consumer, employment and shareholder claims, with seven settlements exceeding $100 million.
- Emerging frontiers: Increasing interest in privacy and data breach, spurred on by cyber incidents and privacy legislation reforms.
- Nationwide reach: For the first time, actions were filed in all six jurisdictions with a class actions regime.
The findings show a litigation environment that is broader, faster and more complex - one where data, governance and accountability are under the spotlight. Read The Review: Class Actions in Australia 2024/2025 to explore the key developments shaping corporate Australia.
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In This Edition
Competing systems of redress
In recent years, a number of proceedings have highlighted the options for redress which exist for group members beyond the traditional class action.
17 October 2025
New avenues, new exposures: The evolution of privacy class actions
Until legislative amendments introduced in the review period, there was no clear direct cause of action for breaches of privacy. To date, groups of impacted individuals have typically sought relief using the ‘representative complaint’ mechanism under the Privacy Act which allows for group compensation claims to be made directly to (and determined by) the OAIC for breaches of the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). In some cases, different firms have filed a class action proceeding with the Court and a representative complaint with the OAIC on behalf of the same class in respect of the same data breach.
17 October 2025
Continuous disclosure and how to navigate constructive awareness in the age of technology
This section explores some of the challenges faced by companies against the backdrop of recent continuous disclosure judgments, and sets out some issues that should be considered by all officers of publicly listed companies.
17 October 2025
Employment class actions working overtime
While at first blush there appears to have been a significant rise in the number of employee-related class actions in 2025, 84% of those class actions filed in the review period relate to the working hours of junior doctors in Victoria, and most were filed by the same law firm on the same day.
17 October 2025
‘Not seeing the trees for the forest’ – the economics of proving individual loss in mass tort cases
Mass tort claims have been prevalent since the class action regime was introduced by Part IVA of the FCA Act and are often among the highest profile, complicated and fiercely contested.
17 October 2025
Consumer staples: the bread-and-butter approach to class actions
The majority of filings were under the ACL and consumer protection provisions of the ASIC Act; however, consumers also brought actions under the competition provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (CCA).
17 October 2025
Pulse check: class actions in health sector alive and well
Health sector class actions are complex because they sit at the intersection of law, science, medicine, and public policy. They require courts to resolve difficult questions of causation, manage diverse and often vulnerable group members, understand evolving scientific evidence, and weigh up competing expert opinions.
17 October 2025
It’s not the destination, it’s the journey: interlocutory issues in class actions
Australian Courts remained receptive to security for costs applications in class actions during the review period, with security granted in most proceedings in which it was sought. This reflects the continued balancing of parties’ legitimate interests - ensuring that adequate and fair protection is provided to a defendant where there is a legitimate concern that an impecunious plaintiff might be unable to pay its costs, while not denying that plaintiff access to the Courts.
17 October 2025
Settlement scrutiny
In the review period, Courts have focused on several key aspects before granting approval, including:
17 October 2025
