A recent ruling of the Fair Work Commission full bench in Ross Kennedy v Qantas Ground Services Pty Ltd [2018] FWCFB 4319 has cast some further light on the tough stance taken on legal representation in the “shadow lawyers” decision ruling last October ultimately finding that even larger employers which employ HR or in-house lawyers … Read more
Grandparents are playing a greater role in many families, often due to the high cost of childcare and increasing rates of divorce. But what happens when a grandparent is refused time with their grandchild or wishes to assume full care of a child? What are grandparents’ rights in these circumstances? What the law says The … Read more
In May 2018, Greens MP, Adam Bandt introduced the Fair Work Amendment (Making Australia More Equal) Bill into parliament. The bill is targeted at gig economy workers (also known as “sharing” economy workers), such as Ubereats drivers and Deliveroo bicycle riders. Currently, these workers are considered to be independent contractors rather than employees and as a … Read more
As we mark the 9th anniversary of the Fair Work Act, we thought it might be useful to reflect first on the basics for the new financial year. Minimum wages, unfair dismissal salary cap, civil penalty increases and changes at the FWO The national minimum wage and award rates increased by 3.5% (say what?!). Where … Read more
By Jessica McNamara (Associate) and Fiona Trethewey (Principal). The case of Pham Global Pty Ltd v Insight Clinical Imaging Pty Ltd [2017] FCAFC 83 has raised significant interest regarding trade mark ownership and the circumstances in which ownership may be challenged. In Pham, the Full Court of the Federal Court held that the requirement for … Read more
A recent case highlights the importance for property owners in ensuring they are aware of uses of their properties by lessees and take appropriate steps to deal with any residual issues once the lessee decides to move on. Background A holding company in Victoria leased property to a skip bin company that intended to use … Read more
By Naomi Stephens (Paralegal) and Amelia Edwards (Lawyer) Weight loss giant Jenny Craig has paid penalties totalling $37,800 following an investigation by the ACCC into multiple misleading representations made in its lose “10kg for $10” campaign. What happened? Wrongly trimming the informational fat: The campaign ran from December 2017 to February 2018, with advertising stating … Read more
By Clea Cole (Lawyer) and Venn King (Special Counsel) Ongoing investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”) into Dover Financial Advisers Pty Ltd (“Dover Financial”, one of Australia’s largest financial planning businesses) has highlighted the risks associated with financial planners becoming authorised representatives under another party’s Australian financial services licence (“AFSL”). An “authorised … Read more
Same-sex marriage is now legal in Australia. While the LGBTI community has embraced this change, the fight for LGBTI equality is not over – further changes to certain Australian state and territory laws are necessary to ensure that trans and gender-diverse people are not discriminated against. Forced divorce As we know, prior to the recent … Read more
