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.

The Government will allow members to access $10,000 of their super benefits in the 2019/20 year and a further $10,000 from 1 July 2020 until 24 September 2020 in the 2020/21 year.

The Government has reduced the minimum annual payment required for account-based pensions and annuities, allocated pensions and annuities and market-linked pensions and annuities by 50% in the 2019/20 and the 2020/21 financial years.

The ATO has also confirmed that it will take no compliance action if the 5% in house asset limit is exceeded as at 30 June 2020.

The ATO has confirmed that it will not take compliance action against SMSFs that give a related party tenant a temporary reduction in rent during the 2019/20 and 2020/21 years.

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 COVID-19 pandemic continues to have far reaching impact on our clients, referrers and staff, their families and communities. We remain committed to helping ensure the health and safety of all people in our broader networks.

A state of emergency was declared in Victoria from 16 March 2020 until midnight on 13 April in order to combat the COVID-19 threat.

On the weekend ASIC released guidelines for upcoming AGM requirements as companies are impacted by social distancing requirements in response to COVID-19.

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.

The Building Amendment (Swimming Pool and Spa) Regulations 2019 (“the Regulation”) commenced on 1 December 2019 and added mandatory requirements for landowners who have a swimming pool or spa.

The Retail Leases Amendment Bill (Bill) proposes reforms to the Retail Leases Act (Act) in an effort to make retail leases fairer and easier to understand.

In some circumstances farm leases will be outside the scope of The Retail Leases Act (Act) following a determination by the Minister for Small Business, exempting farm leases from the Act, effective from 29 October 2019.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is having a significant impact across Australia. At Harwood Andrews we remain acutely aware of the impact this is having, and may continue to have for the foreseeable future, for our clients. We are taking a position of ‘business as usual’ with our offices still being attended, whilst keeping abreast of the evolving direction from various authorities.

Web content can be challenging for those with a disability to navigate and understand. All Victorian Government online services and departments working directly with people with a disability, must ensure internal and external digital content meets certain accessibility standards. For private sector businesses, these standards can also provide a great guide on what to aim for in your communications.