Author Archive

  In our busy society today, the number of people who know their neighbours or are on friendly terms with their neighbours has sadly declined. If you are on good terms with your neighbours there is no need for you to read on, but if you aren’t on good terms with your neighbours or you

  Air-conditioning can be crucial for a business and its office. If you leased premises or are about to lease premises, it is important to make sure that you understand your rights and obligations with respect to air-conditioning. Your rights and obligations are specified under your lease. In a recent Victorian case, it was held

  Separation is never easy. In any family law matter confidentiality and privacy are important, no-one wants other people knowing about the most intimate details of their relationships, especially their breakups. With emotions and tensions running high, private information suddenly can become available for friends and family and, in the worst case, the media. While

  There has been a lot of media coverage recently about the privacy of individual’s information and whether it can be shared with others. Business owners obtain personal information from a variety of sources and should already be familiar with the Australian Privacy Principles. As a result of amendments to the Privacy Act which came into

Privacy laws have changed, meaning that you need to review your privacy policies and procedures to comply with the law and to avoid the consequences for not complying. The Privacy Act 1988, together with the National Privacy Principals, set out the obligations of businesses in relation to obtaining, storing and dealing with private information.   In

  The State Government has announced sweeping changes to stamp duty laws for first home buyers, overseas investors and off the plan purchasers. Said to provide a ‘fair go’ for first home buyers, there are 6 main changes coming into effect from 1 July 2017: First home owners will be exempt from stamp duty for new

In a timely warning to Accountants, the Federal Circuit Court of Australia recently handed down its decision in the case of Fair Work Ombudsman v Blue Impression Pty Ltd & Ors. The proceedings related to a business called Blue Impressions, which ran a chain of Japanese fast food restaurants in Victoria. Back in 2014, the

In the wake of the many investigations into underpayments, such as the 7-Eleven, Pizza Hut, Dominos Pizza, Crust and Caltex wage underpayment claims, the Federal Government has proposed amendments to the Fair Work Act 2009 with the introduction of a new Bill into Parliament. The Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Bill 2017, while not

  Big change for small business- Do your standard form business contracts contain unfair terms? From 12 November 2016 the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) will be scrutinising standard form contracts involving small businesses (being a business employing less than 20 people as determined on a headcount basis). New legislation means small business contracts