News and resources

Farm injuries are unfortunately quite common – farming can be a dangerous occupation. Work on farms accounts for one in every five workplace deaths in NSW, with quad bikes, heavy vehicles, animal handling, biosecurity hazards, machinery, tree accidents and electrical work among the most common hazards. Farm injuries report demonstrates need for farm work safety […]

A strata owners corporation of commercial premises was recently convicted in the NSW District Court after a damaged heavy gate fell on a worker, resulting in his death. First conviction of owners corporation for failing to prevent industrial accident SafeWork NSW, which brought the court action, said it was the first conviction of an owners […]

Pay dispute between rail workers and transport authorities The dynamics of industrial relations have much in common with the game of poker. Successful players can conceal their thoughts from opponents and bluff them into misreading the strengths and weaknesses of a hand. Over the past few months, NSW transport authorities, and the transport unions, have […]

It is an offence to carry out “controlled activities” on waterfront land without an approval. This refers to construction work and also to clearing or depositing rocks, sand or plants. What is considered waterfront land? Waterfront land is defined as the bed of a waterway and the land 40 metres from the mean high bank. […]

Illegal building works create obstacles in property transactions Property prices have soared in recent years, making real estate one of the most significant investments that most Australians will ever make. Whether buying or selling a property, the last thing anyone wants is to encounter unexpected legal or financial hurdles due to illegal building works. Unapproved […]

Bankruptcy a formal option to provide relief from creditors I am drowning in debt. I can’t possibly meet all the bills that have piled up. My business was hit by Covid lockdowns, then the high cost of materials and I can’t continue. If I declare I am bankrupt, will that solve my problems? Will my […]

Changes to online defamation laws in NSW and the ACT came into effect in July 2024. The new law is designed to improve the balance between freedom of speech and the protection of a person’s reputation when someone publishes adverse comments online. “Innocent dissemination” a new defence for online defamation The NSW Defamation Amendment Act […]

Recent changes to labour hire laws are designed to ensure labour hire workers get the same pay as the host company’s regular employees who are doing the same work. Legislation to stop use of labour hire to undercut permanent employees The changes are detailed in one of two pieces of Commonwealth legislation called Closing Loopholes, […]

The recent Victorian Supreme Court case of Ned Kelly Centre Ltd v Australian Rail Track Corporation [2023] VSC 421 asks the question of whether a familial connection to land is enough to trigger Victoria’s human rights laws to stop the development of a tourist facility. A second question arises: does Australia’s patchwork human rights legislation […]

A court decision in 2023 serves as a pointed warning to businesses they are open to massive fines if they fail to specify which currency is displayed in their online prices. Airbnb Ireland receives massive fine for tricking customers on currency In 2023 the Federal Court issued a $15 million fine against Airbnb Ireland for […]

The recent discovery of asbestos-contaminated mulch across Sydney has highlighted the fact that NSW’s existing environmental laws do little to protect our surroundings from environmental crime and fail to deter would-be offenders and polluters. New legislation increases penalties for environmental crime Put simply, the existing penalties for committing an environmental crime in NSW were shamefully […]

The words “cartel conduct” usually bring to mind violent international drug crime gangs. But cartels can also mean you pay more when you renovate, repair or build a home, buy a vehicle or just go shopping. Steep penalties for cartel conduct by two bin operators In February 2024, the Federal Court handed down a sentencing […]

The Federal Court has ruled a major fund management corporation misled investors about its $1 billion ethical fund, which the company claimed was screened to ensure investments went into environmentally and socially beneficial projects. Fund manager accused of misleading investors over ethical fund It was the first major victory for the Australian Securities & Investments […]

According to the latest figures from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, in 2022 Australians lost more than $3 billion to scammers, including losses due to payment redirection scams – and that is only the losses that were reported to the ACCC. How common are payment redirection scams? As house prices soar, scammers are employing […]

It’s nine o’clock at night and you are relaxing at home watching a movie before heading to bed. Suddenly the phone rings. It’s the boss calling to discuss a meeting to be held tomorrow at work. You sigh – wishing you could disconnect from your work at this late hour – but you take the […]

Recently there has been a lot of publicity about new Commonwealth laws, taking effect toward the end of 2023, aimed at preventing and addressing sexual harassment in Australian workplaces. Recurring themes in this publicity are the stimulus for these laws, the Australian Human Rights Commission’s Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report (2020); and the phrase […]

In November 2023 changes to the law on unfair contract terms came into force, applying to a significantly expanded category of small business. Small business definition changes to include larger businesses The legal definition of a “small” business rose from one with fewer than 20 employees, or annual turnover up to $3 million, to a […]

Who owns all of the images on social media? All those holiday snaps, happy family memories and eyewitness videos of crazy happenings and crimes that are uploaded daily… Do we still own the images we post on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn and Snapchat? Terms of service and images on social […]