Is a Mortgagee’s 60% default interest rate just a collateral advantage? Or is it unfair and unconscionable?

Mortgagees should not only consider the content of a mortgage term, but the effect of its operation. If the effect of the mortgage terms could be seen to operate unfairly or unconscionably to a mortgagor, as discussed in the recent decision of the New South Wales Supreme Court in First Mortgage Capital Pty Ltd v […]

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Gadens Connect | 2021 Edition Four

In this edition of Gadens Connect, our team provides an overview of key performance indicators as we move into Christmas; an update on the new Financial Difficulty Guideline; an insight into legislative changes in relation to witnessing of affidavits (South Australia); a summary of FAQs regarding mortgagee in possession liability; and an overview of smoke […]

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COVID-19 | Fair Work Commission finds lack of consultation means Mt Arthur Mine vaccine mandate unreasonable

A recent decision of the Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission has found that a failure by BHP to adequately consult with its workforce before requiring workers to have received a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of entry to the Mt Arthur open cut coal mine (Mt Arthur Mine) was unreasonable. The case, (Construction, […]

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Holman v Brisbane Roar: Court confirms player entitled to recover insurance payments made to club

Brett Holman is a household name for all Australian football fans. He spent most of his professional football career overseas playing in the Dutch Eredivisie, Premier League and UAE Pro League before returning to Australia in 2016 for a final swansong in the A-League with Brisbane Roar FC. He also made 63 appearances for the […]

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Buy Now Pay Later – A changing regulatory landscape

The Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) industry has been making a lot of noise in recent times, attracting the attention of shareholders, regulators and consumer advocates alike. The industry has nevertheless remained largely unregulated to date, due in part to the proactive measures taken by BNPL providers to self-regulate under the Buy Now Pay Later […]

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FAR Out – The reintroduction of civil penalties

Background On 16 July 2021, the Government released the draft Financial Accountability Regime Bill 2021 (Consultation Draft Bill) for consultation. The Revised Bill alters the Financial Accountability Regime, which constitutes the Government’s implementation of recommendations from the Financial Services Royal Commission, namely recommendations 3.9, 4.12, 6.6, 6.7 and 6.8. FAR will apply to all prudentially-regulated […]

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The Director Identification Number (DIN) regime is here – Implications for directors

The Commonwealth Government has introduced the Director Identification Number (DIN) regime through reforms to Part 9.1A of the Corporations Act. From 1 November 2021, DINs became mandatory for all company directors. DINs are expected to assist regulators with their regulatory functions, such as combatting illegal phoenixing activities. DINs of course mean more admin for company […]

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New trade promotions regulation in South Australia

South Australia is introducing a new regulation governing trade promotions. Here’s how it will affect you. The new Regulation The Lotteries Regulation 2021 (SA) (Regulation) will take effect on 10 December 2021. The South Australian government consulted with stakeholders on a draft of the Regulation (see our recent update) but minimal changes have been made in […]

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COVID-19 | Insight for employers – rapid antigen tests and collection of vaccination information

The COVID-19 pandemic has required employers to stay across ever emerging issues to ensure compliance with requirements and the implementation of best practice approaches. This update covers two evolving issues: the use of rapid antigen testing, and the collection of vaccination information, specifically, individual healthcare identifiers. What is rapid antigen testing? Rapid antigen testing can […]

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How to infringe the Privacy rights of millions of Australians with a few clicks… a cautionary tale by Big Brother and his friends

On 14 October 2021, the Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner determined that by using its facial recognition platform to crawl the web to scrape biometric information from various sources on the internet and disclose it through its software, Clearview AI, had breached the privacy rights of millions of Australians.[1] Clearview AI has been described […]

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COVID-19 | Mandatory vaccination in Victoria

The Chief Health Officer has issued amendments to the COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination (Workers) Directions (No. 6) (Workers Directions) and COVID-19 Mandatory Vaccination (Specified Facilities) Directions (No.11) (Specified Facilities Directions) as well as introduced the COVID-19 Mandatory (General Workers) Directions (General Workers Direction) (collectively, Directions) in response to reopening Victoria at the 80% vaccination rate and […]

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COVID-19 | NSW RoadMap to Reopening – Work requirements in phase 2 (80% vaccination rate)

This article has been updated to take into account amendments made to the Public Health (COVID-19 General) Order 2021 (NSW) on 19, 20, 21, and 26 October 2021, and 1 November 2021. The Public Health (COVID-19 General) Order 2021 (NSW) (Order) is part of the roadmap for easing restrictions when 80% of the population of […]

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