We are very proud to have been recognised as leading Family & Divorce law practice and two of our Lawyers Lisa Hunt, Principal (Preeminent) and Linton Drever, Counsel (Recommended).

The Victorian State Budget for the 2020-21 year has a focus on “people” and economic stimulus in order to assist the economy recover from the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns.

The budget focused on promoting investment into housing and planning, rebuilding the state and its economy.

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 Federal Court has awarded a payout of more than $5.2 million to a sacked senior manager of a publicly listed tech company, including a penalty of $7,000 payable personally by the company’s CEO.

Following multiple cyber-attacks to financial service adviser RI Advice Group Pty Ltd (RI), the Australian Securities and Investments Commission commenced proceedings against RI alleging contravention of its obligations under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (Corporations Act) for failure to have adequate cyber security systems as an Australian Financial Services licence holder.

The Federal Circuit Court has ordered a small Ballarat massage parlour, its accountant and officers of the employing company to pay penalties totalling $19,100 for contraventions of the Fair Work Act 2009 and Hair and Beauty Industry Award 2010 over a 7 month period ending in July 2017.

Succession planning in relation to the family farm can be a difficult exercise. Comprehensive planning and the careful structuring of ownership can alleviate many problems that might otherwise arise.

Harwood Andrews is pleased to announce the transition of its Albury practice to Bruce Law on 30 September 2020.

Harwood Andrews was very pleased to host the Commissioner of the Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission (ACNC), The Hon Dr. Gary Johns as our keynote speaker for our Charity & Not-for-Profit event, this year held as a live webinar.

In a significant victory for Australian employers, Cadbury manufacturer Mondelez Australia Pty Ltd and Federal IR Minister Christian Porter have won their High Court challenge to previous rulings about the meaning of the word “day” in the context of the Fair Work Act entitlement to personal/carer’s leave.

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’.

On 6 May 2020, the government announced here that they will incentivise charities to provide increased support in response to the COVID-19 situation, after studies revealed that the effects of COVID-19 had already seen a decrease in charitable giving, which was only likely to further decrease in 2021.

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.

The parenting arrangements for children of separated parents can be difficult to navigate at the best of times. So, what happens when a global pandemic is also a factor in these parenting arrangements?

Whilst there is no specific family law legislation to cover the current covid-19 crisis, if there are Family Law Orders in place with respect to your parenting arrangements, you must seek to comply with those Orders.

Over the last few weeks, landlords, tenants and their lawyers have been awaiting guidelines from the Government to assist in their lease negotiations. While further legislation is required from each of the States, the Prime Minister released the National Cabinet Mandatory Code of Conduct SME Commercial Leasing Principles During COVID-19 (Code) on 7 April 2020.