Estate Planning in a Digital World
In this highly digital world in which we live, the use of digital assets and records has become part of our way of life, and their importance in business and our personal lives has increased. However, have you ever thought about what happens to these [...]
Significant changes ahead for Paid Parental Leave
Families should be pleased to learn that the Federal Government has recently announced major changes to the Paid Parental Leave Scheme (PPL), with the Government committing approximately $531.6 million over the course of 4 years to make these changes. The Current Scheme The Paid Parental [...]
Estate Planning – Where the Will is not enough
When we are approached by a client to draft a will, they are often surprised by the number of questions that we ask them that help us determine what matters they will need to consider beyond the drafting of their will. We set out below [...]
Employee Share Schemes Update
Employee Share Schemes (‘ESS’) are a great way to attract, retain and motivate employees. Until recently there have been a lot of restrictions and requirements on ESS implemented by proprietary companies. One such restriction had been that if a company wanted to issue shares or options, [...]
Employers bear the onus to prevent sexual harassment under new legislation
In June 2018, the Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins, and then Minister for Women, the Hon Kelly O'Dwyer, announced a National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces to examine the prevalence, nature, drivers and reporting of sexual harassment, current legal and regulatory framework, and [...]
Employee Litigation Following Termination on Account of Vaccination Status
In 2021 a significant proportion of employers implemented vaccination policies, either because they were required due to Public Health Orders or on account of the employer implementing their own policy in the absence of a Public Health Order. Since then there have been cases filtering [...]
Misuse of trade secrets by former employees – steps an employer should take to prevent this
Protection of confidential information for employers Departing employees can pose a risk to the future goodwill of a business, as they have had the opportunity to form relationships with its customers and suppliers. Employees will often be given unfettered access to commercially sensitive documents and [...]
Significant General Protections Damages Award
The Federal Court of Australia has recently ordered an account of damages to be paid to a senior-employee of Hawkesbury Race Club, Mrs Leggett, due to the bullying and harassment resulting from her employment. This case highlights consequences that result from overbearing and harassing management [...]
Personal Law Webinar- Discretionary trusts now not so discretionary – Landmark Victoria Court of Appeal case
Please join us for our personal law webinar where our Partner Michael Bishop and Senior Lawyer Jess Tomlinson discuss the recent case Owies v JJ Nominees Pty ltd [2022] VSCA 142 which dealt with: obligations on a trustee to inform itself as to the needs [...]
Landmark High Court Google Defamation Ruling
The High Court last week handed down a landmark defamation ruling concerning whether Google was regarded as having been the publisher, for defamation law purposes, of the results of Google searches Five members of the Court (with two judges dissenting) held that Google was not [...]