Data protection and the human error curse: Part 1 | Why CEOs and Directors need to be concerned

Something as simple as inadvertently sending a customer’s personal information to another person could cost your company dearly – lost earnings, lost customers, lost business partners, damage to reputation and increased compliance costs. If your company is governed by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), is a credit provider, deals with personal or health information or […]

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More greenspace for Brisbane

As part of the Brisbane City Council’s (Council) commitment to implementing ‘Brisbane’s Future Blueprint’, it has recently further announced its support for the implementation of rooftop gardens as part of new developments, to bolster inner-city greenspace through proposed amendments to the Brisbane City Plan (City Plan). The proposed amendment to the City Plan, is to […]

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Stayin’ alive: Revival of lapsed Development Approvals

The currency period / expiry period for a development approval can be extended by making an extension application under section 86 of the Planning Act 2016, but only if the request is made to the assessment manager prior to the lapsing of the development approval. The Court has a wide discretion to excuse non-compliance with […]

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Development refused due to conflict with planning scheme despite consistency with local character

The Court in WOL Projects Pty Ltd v Gold Coast City Council [2018] QPEC 48 recently refused a proposed development comprised of four detached two storey dwellings for a property located in Robina. The property is approximately 2,301 sqm and the development proposed a total site cover of 28.41 percent. The site is located within […]

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Executive officer and company fined for breaches of the EP Act

Under the Environmental Protection Act 1994 (EP Act), it is an offence to breach a condition of an environmental authority (EA). Where an offence is committed by a corporation, executive officers of the corporation also commit an offence of failing to ensure the corporation complies with the EP Act. As is demonstrated by the following, […]

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The Fair Work Commission Tackles “Flexism”

In recent years, there has been a push to ensure employees are not subject to sexism, ageism and racism in the workforce. The new term ‘flexism’[1], has now taken the spotlight. The Full Bench of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) has recently handed down a decision considering ‘family friendly work arrangements’ as a part of […]

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Gadens: PEXA leader among Australian law firms

The Gadens Brisbane Banking and Finance Group is a well-established team with significant experience in PEXA and the electronic conveyancing network. Gadens, with its already proven banking track record, has added a further string to their bow by becoming one of the leading transacting law practices on PEXA in Queensland with over 18,630 completed PEXA transactions, including over […]

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New National Gift Card Law

Following New South Wales and South Australia introducing a minimum 3 year expiry date on gift cards / vouchers sold in 2018, the Federal Government passed a similar law on 18 October 2018 which applies to all States and Territories. Click here to view full size pdf, with details. 

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Sponsored posts on social media: what do I need to know?

Advertisers and social media users (importantly, social media influencers) must ensure that posts or comments made on social media platforms are compliant with the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) Code of Ethics (the Code). What is the Code? The Code is the overarching document that sets out the applicable standards across any medium for […]

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Ipso facto reforms: can I enforce my contractual rights?

Ipso facto clauses are contractual provisions that allow a party to terminate or modify the operation of a contract on the occurrence of a specified event. The Federal Government has introduced reforms which limit the rights of a party to enforce ipso facto clauses in certain insolvency scenarios. The reforms came into effect on 1 […]

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Employment Lifecycle Series | On-boarding and induction essentials

Now that you have bedded down your recruitment processes (with the tips from the first article in our Employment Lifecycle Series – Getting Your Recruitment Processes Right), it might be time to review and consider how best to design and tailor your induction and on-boarding to suit your business’ needs. This article sets out our […]

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Victorian Government reinforces commitment to Solar Energy with new Guidelines

The Victorian Government recently released draft Solar Energy Facilities – Design and Development Guidelines (Guidelines) to assist the development of large-scale solar energy facilities. It is intended that following consultation with the community and industry, the final version of the Guidelines will become a source of advice on the development of best practice facilities in […]

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