By Chrystie Siapkas (Lawyer) and Koula Politis (Senior Associate) A study published earlier this month in the Medical Journal of Australia revealed a concerning truth. Melbourne researchers tested 256 commonly-bought manufactured “gluten free”-labelled products and reported that almost 3% of these products actually contained small amounts of gluten, meaning that these products did not comply … Read more
This is the final in a three-part series about the changes to Child Support in 2018. This segment deals with how the amendments affect Binding Child Support Agreements. Binding Child Support Agreements Section 80C of the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 (“the Act”) enables parents to enter into a private agreement about child support, … Read more
There’s been a lot of coverage about country of origin labelling (CoOL) rules relating to labelling of food. But what about complementary healthcare products? Claims about where complementary healthcare products are made or manufactured need to comply with the Australian Consumer Law (ACL). Of course, compliance with the ACL is in addition to sponsors’ compliance … Read more
It has been a ‘fine’ time for the ACCC this year – a fact to which Ozwear Connection (‘Ozwear’)and Birubi Art (‘Birubi’) will no doubt attest. Both these entities have caught the attention of the regulator in relation to country of origin claims. Background Under the Australian Consumer Law (‘ACL’), businesses are prohibited from making … Read more
What would do you do when you have an unplanned pregnancy? What are your rights as a mother, and what are the obligations of an unwilling father? If you know who the father is and have advised him of the pregnancy, but he is unwilling to be an active parent, you still have options to … Read more
This is part two in a three-part series about the changes to Child Support in 2018. This segment deals with changes to care (including interim care) arrangements and how they may affect your child support obligations or entitlements. How do care arrangements affect your child support? In order to assess Child Support, the Child Support … Read more
Electronic lodging of Plans of Subdivision and Consolidation via SPEAR SPEAR is an online based lodging system operated by Land Use Victoria, allowing subdivision planning permit and certification applications to be compiled, lodged, managed, referred, approved and tracked online, anytime. A few months ago we undertook our first ever lodging of a plan of subdivision … Read more
By Stephanie Koumbarakos (Trainee Lawyer) and Venn King (Special Counsel) Complaints – nobody needs them, but everyone has them! Which is why there have to date been a variety of external dispute resolution (“EDR”) systems approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”) in the financial services arena. But who needs multiple dispute resolutions … Read more
By Stephanie Koumbarakos (Trainee Lawyer) and Jack Stuk (Principal Solicitor) Mixologists of bespoke cocktail or craft beer are taking their talents from the bar and delivering it to consumers to enjoy at home with handcrafted and locally produced alcoholic drinks being bottled for retail sale. This shift to production for retail sale may not be … Read more
