News and resources

The suspension, in August 2026, of several players from the Sydney Swans AFL side, and a following police investigation, has sparked debate about the presumption of innocence in sport, and what the management of sporting clubs can do to manage the attendant risks without infringing on that presumption. Quite a few legal expressions have found […]

Importance of acting early on a DPN debt If the ATO has commenced court proceedings to recover a director penalty notice (DPN) debt against you, the most important thing to do is to take action now. Your situation can only get worse if you ignore it. You need to understand the claim against you and […]

The case of a man who fell victim to a phishing scam reads as a textbook example of cyber fraud. The man received an email inviting him to participate in an online cash survey. The email contained a web link and instructions to click on the link to complete the survey.

As part of the survey, the man was asked to provide his credit card number, which he did. Unbeknownst to him, by doing so, he made this information available remotely to the scammers who had sent him the email.

The fraudsters then asked the man to enter one-off PIN codes sent by his financial services provider to his mobile phone, which he did.

Stacks Law Group is pleased to congratulate several lawyers across the firm who have been recognised in the 2026 Doyle’s Guide rankings. Widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading independent guides to the legal profession, Doyle’s Guide rankings are based on peer review and industry feedback, recognising lawyers and firms that have earned the respect […]

A landowner who owned a large block of land in West Pennant Hills, in Sydney’s north west, was approached by a developer who indicated he was interested in purchasing the land under a put and call option agreement.

This is an agreement for the sale of land allowing the developer to compel the landowner to complete the contract once certain conditions have been met.

The relevant conditions were that development approval would need to be granted first, before the developer would commit to completing the purchase. The developer was responsible for obtaining the development approval.

In the past the subject of a photo or video was able to see that someone was recording them, providing them with at least a flimsy layer of protection. Smart glasses remove that protection. Their live-streaming capability means instant distribution, without any possibility of preventing this. Recent changes in law intended to strengthen protection of […]

In early September 2008, a woman, who was then 43, began suffering from neck pain and headaches. She consulted a chiropractor, but the pain and headaches continued.

The woman consulted her GP due to worsening neck pain, severe headaches and facial flushing. The GP advised her to continue with chiropractic treatment and with the pain medication she was currently taking.

“Lemon law” principles under Australian Consumer Law protect you if you buy a new vehicle which isn’t of acceptable quality – safe, fit for driving consistently and free from material defects. The law gives rights to repairs, a refund or replacement, and pathways for resolving disputes through Fair Trading or NCAT. Buying a defective vehicle […]

A man living in regional NSW held a Category AB firearms licence, authorising the use of certain rifles and shotguns.

He primarily used his firearms for recreational shooting and for pest and vermin control on a rural property owned by his neighbours.

At the age of 16 he had suffered a serious spinal injury in a workplace accident. The injury caused him to suffer chronic back pain, which he relieved by using cannabis.

Polygamy – being married to more than one person at a time – is illegal in Australia. However, polyamory – being intimately involved with more than one person at a time with the knowledge and consent of all involved – is quite legal. What is “polyamorous”? A polyamorous relationship can involve a married couple with […]

So you are a director of a company and you’ve received a Director Penalty Notice (DPN). Here’s a rundown on what that means and what you should do next. What is a Director Penalty Notice? A DPN is a notice issued by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) that can make you, as a company director, […]

A case on appeal in NSW focused on whether a sentence handed down for drug supply charges was excessive.

In June 2015, a young man was apprehended by police and found to be in possession of a substantial quantity of illegal recreational drugs. This included 17 MDMA tablets, 100 MDA tablets, 338.8 grams of 1,4-butanediol (or “bute”, an alternative to the drug GHB), and 1.3728 kilograms of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL), as well as $3,000 in cash.

The man was charged with two counts of supply of a prohibited drug and one count of supply of a commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, along with other offences.

A NSW case revolved around the question of whether or not a man had revoked a will, and whether his intentions were better reflected by a newer, unsigned will.

In the years prior to his death at the age of 87, the man instructed his solicitor on a number of occasions to prepare a draft will for him. It was the man’s practice to attend to the signing and witnessing of a draft will received from his solicitor himself, prior to returning the completed will to his solicitor for safe keeping.

In 2015 the man made a will leaving everything to his friend of many years’ standing.

Stricter laws making it a criminal offence to display Nazi symbols in public are starting to bite, with the first person jailed for giving the Hitler salute. Member of neo-Nazi group jailed for Nazi salute The man, a leading member of a neo-Nazi group, gave the raised right arm salute in 2023 and cried “Heil […]

Spurious legal arguments frame the world of the sovereign citizen It’s not uncommon for a sovereign citizen to tell the cop who pulls them over that they’re not the driver at all – just a traveller in a vehicle. They tell the judge they’re not the “legal person” who was charged, but they’re really a […]

Deadlines are fast approaching for businesses to take steps to comply with changes under the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (AML/CTF Act). AML/CTF Act reforms expand scope of existing laws The new legislative amendments broaden the reach of laws fighting money laundering and covert financing of terrorism. (Please see Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism […]

A case heard in Victoria concerned a finance executive who was taken to court by her former employer after she resigned and went to work for a competitor. Aware she had been in job negotiations while it still employed her, the former employer sought to enforce the restraint clause in her contract.

A large clothing retailer with outlets all over Australia employed a chief financial officer (CFO), based in Victoria. The CFO had worked in finance at a senior level in various industries, including apparel retail, although some considerable time prior to the events giving rise to the litigation.

The CFO started working for the retailer in January 2016. She and the company had negotiated an employment contract which included a clause purporting to restrict her ability to work for the retailer’s competitors after her employment came to an end.

While the CFO’s salary package was substantial (close to half a million dollars per annum), the contract contained a probationary period provision. It was asserted in evidence that this was because while the CFO had previously worked in apparel retail, she had not done so for some time and was instead coming from the health care industry.

“What is a woman” has become the catchcry of anti-trans activists who argue there are only two genders – male and female. But Australia’s Federal Court has battled with the question of gender identity for three years in the discrimination case Tickle v Giggle, involving a transgender woman. Transgender woman removed from a women-only app […]