This may seem to be an obvious statement. However, in parts of South-East Queensland, ensuring that all the costs of infrastructure are at least understood, if not actually quantified, is complicated by the separation of responsibility for water supply and wastewater networks from local governments to two entities – Urban Utilities and Unitywater. Both Urban… Read more »
On 4 March 2022, in response to a dramatic increase in the value of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), the Clean Energy Regulator announced it will allow holders of existing fixed delivery contracts to be released from their obligations upon payment of an ‘exit fee’, enabling ACCUs to be sold on the open market. While… Read more »
The Federal Government has announced further reforms to Australia’s foreign investment framework. The reforms seek to minimise the regulatory burden on foreign investors. Background and overview On 1 January 2021, major reforms to Australia’s foreign investment framework commenced. The Treasury has evaluated these reforms, and the Government has announced further reforms to ensure the foreign… Read more »
NFTs have become increasingly popular in Australia in recent years. Despite this heightened interest, the intellectual property law issues concerning NFTs remain largely untested. This alert explores what NFTs are and the intellectual property issues raised by them. It is essential reading for anyone dealing with NFTs, including creators, buyers and sellers. What is an… Read more »
In a recent decision, the Full Federal Court upheld an earlier decision that held that there was a prima facie case that Facebook Inc had an ‘Australian link’, bringing it within the scope of the Privacy Act. The decision enables the Australian Information Commissioner to progress with its landmark proceedings against Facebook in relation to… Read more »
The decision in Thomas and Naaz started alarm bells ringing for medical and allied health practices and their advisers. Some practices are structured so that each practitioner provides medical services to their patients, and the practitioner then receives administration services from a separate service entity. Until recently, advisers had often considered that patient fees that… Read more »
A binding financial agreement, sometimes known as a prenuptial agreement, sets out the way some or all of a couple’s assets will be divided in the event that their relationship breaks down. When a couple enters into a binding financial agreement, the terms of the agreement are important, as is satisfying the many technical and… Read more »
Who needs a director identification number? A director identification number (commonly referred to as a Director ID or DIN) is a unique identifier that will be used to confirm a director’s identity and trace their involvement in the operation of companies. Once a person has a Director ID, they will keep it forever. A person… Read more »
The ATO has set its sights on distributions of trust income to adult children. Trustees should review their circumstances where they have distributed trust income to adult children to take advantage of lower marginal tax rates and some other person has obtained the actual benefit of that trust income. That other person may be other… Read more »
Recently, following a review of submissions, the Brisbane City Council endorsed the proposed amendment to the City Plan 2014 regarding rooftop gardens and landscaped greenspaces and has referred the amendment to the Queensland Government for consideration to adopt. The proposed amendment includes changes across a range of citywide provisions to: encourage the provision of rooftop… Read more »