High-rise units (not PPR) rating category was the correct category
Marchesi v Noosa Council – What’s the case about? The Land Court delivered a decision in the case of Marchesi v Noosa Council [2017] QLC 19 which involved an owner’s appeal against a decision of the chief executive officer of Noosa Council on the owner’s objection to the rating category for several parcels of land. The […]
ReadmoreDeath tax? How the superannuation changes may lead to your dependants paying more tax
If you intend to leave your superannuation to a dependant (e.g. your spouse, child or children) by way of pension as opposed to a lump sum, then it is critical that you have your estate plan reviewed in light of the government’s superannuation changes commencing on 1 July 2017. What are the relevant changes? […]
Readmore2017/2018 State and Federal Budgets: new and revised taxation measures
1. Proposed Vacant Residential Land Tax (VRLT) The Victorian Government recently announced a proposal for vacant residential land tax. These changes are contained within Part 4 of the State Taxation Acts Amendment Bill 2017 (Vic) (‘the Bill’) and will alter the Land Tax Act 2005 (Vic). The Bill is expected to be passed in June […]
ReadmoreFunding bankruptcy trustees: not always a risky business
On 13 April 2017 the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia delivered judgment in Low v Barnet (Trustee) [2017] FCAFC 60 where a creditor sought payment of a “risk premium” from the trustee in bankruptcy after successfully funding litigation with respect to a voidable transaction. Background Ms Low was the only creditor […]
ReadmoreStandard form business contracts
On 12 November 2016, section 23 of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) was amended to provide protection for small businesses from “unfair” contract terms in business-to-business standard form contracts. This came as a result of the ACCC reviewing a number of standard form contracts involving small businesses and identifying a number of commonly-occurring problems in […]
ReadmoreRamsay review final report and the establishment of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority
Professor Ian Ramsay’s final report of the Review of the financial system external dispute resolution and complaints framework (Final Report) was released last week. The most significant of the 11 recommendations contained in the Final Report is the establishment of a single external dispute resolution body for financial and superannuation disputes, to replace FOS, CIO […]
ReadmoreDeveloper left in the dark as builder garnishes $11 Million from developer’s bank account without notice
In the recent decision of Fitz Jersey Pty Ltd v Atlas Construction Group Pty Ltd [2017] NSWCA 53 a Contractor was able to garnish $11 million from the Principal’s bank account using the NSW security of payment legislation. The Principal was caught by surprise because at the time the money was garnished from its bank […]
ReadmoreLegal considerations when establishing e-commerce services
Under Australian Consumer Law (ACL) consumers have the benefit of certain statutory guarantees, you can’t exclude statutory consumer T&Cs but you can include wording to limit your business’ liability. Click here to view full size images.
ReadmoreVacant Property Tax in Victoria
From 1 January 2018 a vacant residential property tax will be introduced in Victoria. The purpose of the tax is to discourage owners having properties vacant for a cumulative period longer than 6 months within a calendar year. The tax is limited geographically to properties located in the following Councils as highlighted in orange below: […]
ReadmoreLocal Government Update – Indemnities
Under section 60A of the Statutory Bodies Financial Arrangements Act 1982 (Qld) (SBFA), Councils must seek the approval of the Treasurer before entering into a “type 1 financial arrangement”, which includes granting an indemnity in favour of another party within a contract. However, on 6 January 2017, the process for Councils looking to provide an […]
ReadmoreIs your planning scheme robust enough under the new planning framework?
It is less than 2 months before the commencement of the new planning framework in Queensland under the Planning Act 2016. Assessable development Under the new planning framework, there are 2 categories of assessment for assessable development, namely code and impact assessment. Code and impact assessment The Planning Act requires the following: Code […]
ReadmoreDevelopment Assessment Rules
In anticipation of the commencement of the Planning Act 2016 on 3 July 2017, the Department of Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning has released the Development Assessment Rules. The Development Assessment Rules is a statutory instrument made by the Minister under the Planning Act. It is one of the key instruments under the new planning framework […]
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