In today’s retail environment, businesses regularly offer customers extended warranties for an additional price. When offering an extended warranty, it is crucial for the business to ensure that any offer for an extended warranty complies with the customer protections set out in the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). 

Do you ever provide advice to company directors, and they act on that advice? Do you ever give instructions to company directors and they act on those instructions?

People have a general awareness of the implications of personal liability as a director. For example, directors can find themselves personally liable for debts to employees, tax debts and penalties owed to the Australian Tax Office or for breaches of The Corporations Act 2001 (“the Act”).

The Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission has handed down an important interpretive decision concerning when a worker is bullied “at work”, for the purposes of the workplace bullying provisions under the Fair Work Act 2009 (the Act).

Each New Year people make personal resolutions that more often than not are left unfulfilled and forgotten by the end of January. So perhaps this year rather than focusing on yourself, take the time to reflect on your family business and the goals which you would like to achieve.

The Tribunal in Heislers v Melbourne Water Corporation [2014] VCAT 1399 ordered that Melbourne Water, as the acquiring authority of a pipeline easement related to the Wonthaggi desalination plant, pay 80% of the claimant’s costs in the proceeding. 

A total of $8.3 million in penalties was imposed by the Federal Court upon two forklift gas supply companies, Renegade Gas Pty Ltd (Renegade), Speed-E-Gas (NSW) Pty Ltd (Speed-E-Gas) and three individuals of the two companies, for engaging in cartel conduct restricting competition.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have instituted proceedings against the well-known Christmas hamper company, Chrisco.

Parents frequently provide their children with financial assistance to purchase a home or an investment property. Financial assistance provided by a parent to a child will be considered a loan or a gift for family law purposes.

The new penalty regime for self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs) may allow a relatively lenient approach where cases involve a number of serious breaches of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 (SIS Act) , if the two recent Federal Court decisions of DCT v Lyons and DCT v Graham Family Superannuation Pty Ltd are any guide to how the regime will be applied by the Courts.

Modern awards commenced on 1 January 2010.  All modern awards contained similar transitional provisions which allowed modern awards to phase in over a period of five years.

In a recent case, the Plaintiff Donna Nolan separated from her husband and brought proceedings in the Supreme Court of Queensland separate to her proceedings in the Family Court.

Family Meetings

Many successful families in business hold at least one family meeting each year. Family meetings often have a formal business and social component, and a structured and unstructured component, and are frequently held in locations away from the normal environments of the family.