Federal Court Awards $305,000 in Landmark Sexual Harassment Decision
In a recent decision by the Federal Court of Australia a claimant has been awarded $305,000, regarding claims of workplace sexual harassment, making it one of the highest awards ordered under the Federal Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) (‘SDA’). The case of Magar v Khan [2025] FCA [...]
NSW Court of Appeal finds Uber liable for $81m Payroll Tax Assessment
On 1 August 2025, the New South Wales Court of Appeal overturned the Supreme Court’s earlier decision to relieve Uber of six payroll tax assessments amounting to $81,515,923 and which we covered in an article late last year here. These assessments related to payments Uber [...]
THE SPAM ACT – AN UPDATE
In Australia, the Spam Act 2003 (‘Spam Act’) contains requirements in relation to the sending of commercial electronic messages (‘CEMs’) which include, but are not limited to, SMS and email messages. Section 16 of the Spam Act expressly prohibits the sending of unsolicited CEMs that [...]
Mid-August Tax Update
This article provides an update on key developments in taxation law for accountants and participants in the tax advice industry for mid-August. This update in summary covers: Federal Court’s rejection of Taxpayer’s claim for approximately $20m in deductions; Whether payment for Long Service Leave incurred [...]
The Future of Private Ancillary Funds: A Shift toward “Giving Funds”
Private Ancillary Funds as we know them, may soon be a thing of the past. The Australian government has released a consultation paper with recommendations to reform the operation of both Public and Private Ancillary Funds. The new recommendations embrace a suite of changes which aim [...]
Dismissal Decisions and Mental Health Issues – What do you need to be aware of as an Employer?
For employers, mental health conditions are among the most costly types of workplace injuries, often resulting in significantly longer absences from work and higher compensation compared to other injuries or illnesses. Dismissal decisions can also become particularly sensitive where the employee concerned is also dealing [...]
Challenging market rent determinations under the Retail Leases Act: key lessons for landlords and tenants
Retail leases commonly include provisions for the rent to be reset to market value at the commencement of a further term, usually following the exercise of an option by the tenant. In these cases, an independent specialist retail valuer is appointed to determine the current [...]
Challenging the validity of a will in Victoria: what you need to know
When a loved one dies, disputes can arise not only about the distribution of their estate but also about the legal validity of their will. Unlike family provision claims which seek to alter the distribution of an estate by adjusting the entitlements set out in [...]
Outsourced but Not Outside the Law: the Pascua Case
In this era of growing technological and economic integration, the modern workplace is no longer confined to national boundaries. Businesses are increasingly choosing to outsource various roles such as administrative work or marketing to foreign markets where workers can be engaged at a significantly lower cost. [...]
Employee sues for $780k after alleged breach of Right to Disconnect
It has been just under a year since we last discussed the introduction of the new legislative changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (FWA) granting employees the right to disconnect. Now, the courts are facing the first public test of how this new [...]