Changes were made to the Justice Legislation (COVID-19 Emergency Response-Wills and Enduring Documents) Amendment Regulation 2020 (Qld) last week to extend the operation of that regulation to the signing of deeds.
The Queensland Parliament has now passed regulations allowing for Wills and enduring documents (including enduring powers of attorney and advance health directives) to be witnessed via an audio visual link.
Cooper Grace Ward has prepared the following guide to summarise the practical safety issues arising from the Resource Kit, to assist Australian employers as restrictions are eased and employees return to their workplaces.
Employers have a duty to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the physical and mental health and safety of workers and other persons while at work.
The Federal Government has registered a legislative instrument permitting electronic signatures and virtual meetings to assist continuity of business operations despite the pandemic.
With the consequences of COVID-19 becoming increasingly pronounced, listed entities need to ensure they manage disclosure obligations by alerting the ASX of material information arising from the pandemic.
The ATO has released guidance that shows the JobKeeper ‘schemes’ that will be audited. Businesses that are receiving JobKeeper payments should check that their payments are not at risk of being clawed back by the ATO.
We have written about SMSFs providing rent relief to related parties, the issues involved, and the ATO’s ‘no action’ position. The ATO is now releasing its expectations of what auditors must do.
The Family Court and the Federal Circuit Court have established a ‘COVID-19 list’ for urgent family law matters arising from the impact of coronavirus.
The ramifications of COVID-19 are being felt by businesses, and not-for-profits and charities are no exception. Key changes and considerations for not-for-profits and charities are outlined in this article.
On 24 April 2020, the Treasurer announced that new rules will be introduced for the ‘decline in turnover’ test. The effect of one of these rules is that service entities, which may not suffer the necessary decline in turnover in their own right, may now become eligible for JobKeeper payments.
There are strict signing rules for Wills, enduring powers of attorney and many other documents. With self-isolation rules in force, it can be difficult to comply with signing rules at the moment.