A ban on smoking in outdoor dining areas will come into effect as of 1 August 2017. The Tobacco Amendment Act 2016 (Vic) (Amendment Act) amends the Tobacco Act 1987 (Vic) (Act) so that no person may smoke in an outdoor area where food is being served. This will presumably include footpath dining areas, beer … Read more
UK-based technology company, Purple WiFi, recently gave consumers a salient lesson in why it’s important to read terms of use. What happened? Purple provides WiFi hotspots for various clients including retail outlets, restaurants and hotels. People visiting these venues can access the free WiFi provided they create an account and accept Purple’s terms of use. … Read more
Upmarket activewear brand, Lululemon Athletica Australia Pty Ltd (Lululemon), has caught the attention of the ACCC over its policy on refunds and exchanges. What happened? In May 2017, Lululemon’s returns policy (as published on its website) stated that no refunds or exchanges would be accepted on final sale items such as water bottles and underwear, … Read more
The Advertising Standards Board (“ASB”) has criticised an Apple Music television commercial featuring Australia singer and The Voice judge Delta Goodrem, and determined that it breached prevailing community standards about safe driving. What happened? The ad, broadcast during the finale of The Voice, features Goodrem in the passenger seat of a convertible BMW choosing an … Read more
Our family law team is passionate about effecting change in the family violence space. We were fortunate to have Rosie Batty as our guest speaker at the KHQ Family Violence Forum held on 8 June 2017, where Rosie highlighted the need for urgent family law reform to assist victims of family violence navigate the family … Read more
By Clea Cole (Lawyer) and Kate Landells (Senior Associate) Last Thursday ASIC released two consultation papers which aim to assist: public companies; and crowd-sourced-funding (CSF) intermediaries (being CSF platform operators), to navigate the new CSF regime and their obligations under that regime, which is set to take effect at the end of September this year. … Read more
Health insurer, NIB, is being taken to task by the ACCC, over alleged misleading and deceptive conduct and unconscionable conduct. What happened? NIB has provided a MediGap Scheme to its customers since the early 2000s. The Scheme pays higher benefits to practitioners who agree to participate, and in return those practitioners agree to not charge … Read more
By Jack Stuk (Principal) and Bridget Hobbs (Lawyer) Following the release of the 2017/2018 state budget on 2 May 2017, you might be aware that the stamp duty concession currently available on transfers of property (other than the primary residence) between spouses will be removed from 1 July 2017. This tax exemption is most often … Read more
By Clea Cole (Lawyer) and Kate Landells (Senior Associate) In last Tuesday’s budget papers, the Government committed to making it easier for start-up companies to raise capital by releasing draft legislation to extend the crowd-sourced equity funding regime (CSF) to proprietary companies in the form of the Corporations Amendment (Crowd-sourced Funding for Proprietary Companies) Bill … Read more
