The unfair contracts regime in the Australian Competition and Consumer Act has had a long and troubled history.

From 28 June 2021, school boarding premises will need to be registered with the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA), and meet certain minimum standards.

The Commonwealth Treasury has released exposure draft legislation amending the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (Cth) (ITAA).

State and federal tax provisions often result in different tax outcomes for trustees depending on what type of trust is involved.

Following a previous announcement in the 2019-20 Budget, the Federal Government has recently introduced a new category of deductible gift recipient (DGR) to enable community sheds (such as Men’s Sheds and Women’s Sheds) to access the DGR concession.

The case of ACCC v Kimberly-Clark Australia Pty Ltd [2020] FCAFC 107 (ACCC v Kimberly-Clark) is a reminder that companies must be aware of their obligations under the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) when making claims about their products.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has continued its rampage on the online marketplace industry in ACCC v Sony Interactive Entertainment Network Europe Ltd [2020] FCA 787, as it continues to vigilantly protect Australian consumers that purchase items online.

For some time, the Government has been concerned about Australia’s inability to deal with phoenix activity, which creates an unfair advantage for companies which engage in wrongful activity and costs the economy billions of dollars each year.

Further to our article here where we wrote about the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) guidance regarding annual general meetings and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Treasurer has released the Corporations (Coronavirus Economic Response) Determination (No 1) 2020 (Cth) (Determination), which commences on 6 May 2020 and will be automatically repealed on 5 September 2020.

In this case, the High Court reiterated that a person can be deemed to be an “officer” of a company even if that person does not hold a position as a named ‘Director’ or ‘Secretary’.

The case of Annat v Commissioner of State Revenue [2020] VSC 108 (Annat) serves as a timely reminder for those operating a farm about difficulties faced by farming land owners in continuing to qualify for a primary production land tax exemption and the importance of ensuring that their structuring and record keeping practices are up to scratch.

On 18 March 2020, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released guidance on their expectations regarding contracts that are cancelled as a result of COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns.

The contract cancellations discussed in this article are those that relate to travel, events, gym memberships and food delivery services.

On 18 March 2020, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released guidance on their expectations regarding weddings that are cancelled as a result of COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns.

First and foremost, the ACCC “expect” businesses to treat consumers “fairly” in connection with cancellation or refund requests resulting from COVID-19 restrictions.

On 29 March 2020 the Federal Government announced changes to the foreign investment review regime as Australia continues to deal with the economic implications of COVID-19.

Once the legislation is passed, effective from 29 March 2020, all proposed foreign investment into Australia subject to the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 will require approval.

A recent Court of Appeal (Court) decision has clarified the application of section 35(1)(a) of the Duties Act 2000 (Vic). This section provides an exemption from transfer duty that applies when property is transferred to a trustee to be held solely as trustee of the transferor without any change in the beneficial ownership of the property.

On 30 March 2020 the Federal Government announced further COVID-19 business support in the form of the JobKeeper Payment, which is intended to keep individuals connected with their employer and talks to the ‘hibernation’ of businesses already mentioned by the Prime Minister.

Under the JobKeeper Payment, businesses significantly affected by Coronavirus outbreak will be able to access a $1,500 support payment per employee per fortnight for up to 6 months from the Government to continue paying their employees.

Both Federal, State and Territory Governments and the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) have adopted measures to assist taxpayers and businesses through the current COVID-19 crisis. We have prepared a summary of the support packages.

The restrictions on social gatherings and non-essential businesses will impact the ability of many parties to comply with their contractual obligations.

On 22 March 2020, the Australian Government, as part of its economic response to the Coronavirus, announced temporary relief measures for financially distressed businesses.