Latest publications
Directors’ Access to Company Books: Navigating Statutory & Common Law Requirements in Australia
To manage a company and discharge their duties, directors need access to company information. Tension between directors can arise about what access they can have to company books, particularly in the context of a dispute at board level. However, directors have statutory rights and common law rights to access company books. This…
Strata Remedial Update: Emergency Remedial Building Works
The NSW Department of Customer Service has released a Fact Sheet: Emergency Remedial Building Work: https://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/trades-and-businesses/construction-and-trade-essentials/working-on-class-2-buildings/building-practitioner-obligations/emergency-remedial-building-work This Fact Sheet has been prepared as a guideline to assist owners corporations, strata managers and design and building practitioners in respect of remedial emergency building works in existing class 2 buildings. The ongoing construction reform in…
Changes to the Fair Work Act: An Overview
On 6 December 2022 the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act 2022 passed into law (Amending Legislation). The Amending Legislation made significant changes to the Fair Work Act (Act) and related legislation. Some of these changes have already taken effect, while others will take effect throughout this year…
Shifting the dial on building defects liability – a greater risk for company directors and developers under recent legislative reform
Under the Home Building Act 1989, claimants in defective building cases against corporate builders and/or corporate developers may hit a roadblock in the case of ultimate insolvency of those parties even if the claims are successful and rectification or damages orders are made in respect of the defects. Has this now changed…
Valentine’s Day in the Workplace (2023 Edition)
Valentine’s Day, the celebration of romance and romantic love, takes place annually on February 14. While many assiduously avoid what they consider to be a crass commercialisation of intimate relationships, others embrace with relish the opportunities it presents to either affirm or pursue romance. A few years ago extensive media coverage (usually with accompanying…
Looks like an employee, works like an employee, behaves like an employee… but they could be a contractor
Since the Hollis v Vabu (‘Vabu’) decision in 2001, the courts and the Fair Work Commission (‘FWC’) have applied a holistic assessment in determining whether the relationship between a business and its worker is an employment relationship or a contractor engagement. However, in 2022, the High Court decisions of Personnel Contracting and Jamsek threw out…
Australia Day Substitution: The Legal Issues
It has been reported that some of the largest employers in Australia, including Woolworths, Telstra and Network 10, are now giving employees the option of working on Australia Day (January 26) and taking that public holiday at another time. This development has arisen from both a general trend towards flexibility in the…
New Employment Zones to commence April 2023 | Planning & Environment
The New South Wales Government has amended Local Environmental Plans to replace Business and Industrial Zones with new ‘Employment Zones’. The changes have been a long time in the making. Originally developed under the former Minister for Planning back in May of 2021, the reforms follow the Productivity Commission’s 2021 White Paper…
Are Prenups the height of romance? Rethinking Binding Financial Agreements
When people think about ‘romance’, they tend to imagine things like candlelight, flowers, oysters, champagne. Well, contrary to popular belief, I believe that Binding Financial Agreements should be bumped up the list. Whilst the ‘branding’ of BFA’s may need a little marketing rework, they are, at their core, a deeply loving and romantic document…
‘Tis the Season to Avoid Folly: Workplace Christmas Parties (2022 Edition)
It’s that time of year. The ‘Silly Season’. For many organisations, the official employer Christmas party is imminent. The events for this year, 2022, will be the first for three years in which the COVID-19 pandemic won’t be a significant factor. The starting point for office Christmas parties is that they are…