COVID-19 | The tax benefits of working from home
Overview What are the methods for calculating your home office tax deduction? Prior to 1 March 2020, there were two methods a taxpayer could use to calculate their home office tax deduction: the Fixed Rate Method; or the Actual Cost Method. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has introduced […]
ReadmoreACCC’s scrutiny of APRA’s licence fees and royalties is music to some businesses’ ears
Everybody will be familiar with hearing music playing in the background in shops, bars, cafes and restaurants or on the radio and TV. Unless there are alternative licensing arrangements in place, these businesses are required to obtain and pay for a licence from Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) to do so. The fees from these […]
ReadmoreGadens Connect | 2020 Edition Three
In the third edition of Gadens Connect, we bring you the second quarter update for 2020. These last few months have seen us all adjusting to a new ‘norm’ and the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to bring to business and life in Australia. In this edition, we focus heavily on the impact of […]
ReadmorePharmacies – Prohibitions against providing sales figures and paying percentage rent
The Australian pharmacy community is in a unique position in that it is afforded protections under leasing law that are not available to other retail businesses. The following guide has been developed to assist you with understanding the legal framework governing leasing arrangements for pharmacy premises. Our guide summarises the position in the different States […]
ReadmoreWhat’s that ‘new’ levy on my title?
You may not be aware, but there may be a ‘new’ levy on your title! On 1 July 2020, the Melbourne Strategic Assessment (Environment Mitigation Levy) Act 2020 (Vic) (MSA Act) came into effect. It imposes an obligation to pay a levy prior to certain works being undertaken in specified areas of Melbourne’s growth corridors […]
ReadmoreFSR Wrap | July 2020
Gadens has launched a new financial services regulatory update publication to keep the market informed of the latest developments – welcome to FSR Wrap. Gadens has extensive knowledge and expertise across the financial services sector. In the July 2020 edition of FSR Wrap, Edward Martin, Glenn McGowan QC, Dudley Kneller and Gadens’ FSR team focus […]
ReadmoreNew Trade Promotions Regulation in NSW
New South Wales has introduced a new regulation governing trade promotions. Here’s how it will affect you. The new Regulation As noted in our recent update, the Community Gaming Regulation 2020 (NSW) took effect on 1 July 2020. While the NSW government had consulted with stakeholders on a draft of the Regulation, significant changes were […]
ReadmoreConsumer Data Right – becoming an Accredited Data Recipient
The Consumer Data Right (CDR) reached a further milestone on 1 July 2020, as the Big 4 banks are now required to share consumer data in response to a consumer request. At present, this includes data from debit and credit cards, and savings and transaction accounts, and from November 2020 will include data from home […]
ReadmoreSPAM should only be found on the Supermarket shelves – not in my inbox!
A recent case in which Woolworths Group Limited (Woolworths) was fined $1,003,800 by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for over five million breaches of the Spam Act 2003 (Cth) (the Spam Act) is a stark reminder of the importance of establishing and maintaining rigorous controls to ensure that commercial electronic messages are only […]
ReadmoreUnfair contract terms and the burden of knowledge…
On 28 May 2020, the first case on unfair contract terms for bank contracts was handed down by the Federal Court of Australia in Australian Securities and Investments Commission v Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited [2020] FCA 716 (ASIC v Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited). The court found certain clauses in the contract’s terms and […]
ReadmoreCOVID-19 | The Banking Code of Practice – COVID-19: Special Note
In these uncertain times, the financial services industry is experiencing unprecedented levels of customer queries and financial hardship requests. As a result of the high volume of customers in distressed circumstances, on 25 June 2020 ASIC approved temporary changes to the Banking Code of Practice (the Code) so that Banks can continue to provide suitable […]
ReadmoreNSW Parliament Introduces a Statutory Duty of Care for Residential Building Work
In Brookfield Multiplex Ltd v Owners Corporation Strata Plan 61288 (2014) 313 ALR 408, the High Court found that a builder did not owe a common law duty of care to the developer of residential apartment buildings or its successors in title (including an owners corporation) for economic loss caused by defective work. The High […]
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