211-220 of 262 results
Take Two: anti-bribery reforms revived and long-awaited draft regulatory guidance released
The Australian Government has tabled the Crimes Amendment (Combatting Corporate Crime) Bill 2019 (the 2019 Bill) in the Senate, and the Attorney-General's Department has released Draft Guidance on the steps a body corporate can take to prevent an associate from bribing foreign public officials for public consultation (the Draft Guidance). Like the 2017 version of the Bill that lapsed earlier this year (the 2017 Bill), if passed, the 2019 Bill will strengthen Australia's foreign bribery laws, including by introducing a new corporate offence of failure to prevent bribery by an associate, and will introduce a Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) scheme for resolving serious corporate criminal matters. Partner Rachel Nicolson, Senior Associate Andrew Wilcock and Associate Lewis Winter report on the key differences between the 2017 and 2019 Bills, and the content of the Draft Guidance. ...
Civil penalties: are negotiated outcomes still negotiable?
A recent decision of the High Court could intensify uncertainty about the legitimacy of resolving civil penalty proceedings by the regulator and the defendant approaching the court with an agreed penalty supported by an agreed statement of facts Partner Matthew McLennan and Lawyer Megan Sandler ...
Can listed companies continue to claim tax deductions for contributions to employee share trusts?
A recent draft tax ruling may make it more difficult for employers to claim tax deductions for contributions made to employee remuneration trusts However the ruling is expected to have limited practical application to listed companies making non-refundable contributions to traditional employee share ...
The Federal Court on information to third parties, legal professional privilege and waiver
A recent Federal Court decision highlights the importance of managing the provision of information and documentation to third parties with caution in order to preserve legal professional privilege Partner Richard Harris and Senior Associate Elnaz Nikibin report on the case ...
More (good) Queensland property law changes (inc. up to 20% deposits!!)
Further amendments to existing property legislation that aims to streamline the sale of property particularly in respect of the sale of off-the-plan lots have been introduced into the Queensland Parliament These amendments will be of substantial benefit to developers Partner Alister Fitzgerald ...
Thriving in an era of scrutiny: Culture and conduct
Legal and compliance leaders should act now to combat serious and increasing legal and reputational risk ...
Does legal professional privilege apply to communications with third-party commercial advisers?
Parties involved in large-scale commercial transactions with non-lawyer third-party advisers need to be aware that communications with these advisers will rarely be protected by legal professional privilege following a recent Federal Court decision ...
Recent decision on FoFA advice provisions - ASIC v NSG
The recent case of ASIC v NSG Services Pty Ltd considers the FoFA best interests and appropriate advice provisions, as well as obligations of licensees. While the facts of the case provide an extreme example of how advisers and licensees can fail to comply with these duties, it also provides some us ...
Reporting significant breaches - or something that may (or may not) be a breach?
The Taskforce established by Treasury to consider ASICs enforcement powers released its first consultation paper a few weeks ago on breach reporting We examine the most significant of the Taskforces 12 preliminary positions ...
Shakeup to EU data protection regulations - impact on Australian businesses
Australian businesses that offer goods and services to individuals within the European Union will be affected by new EU data protection regulations that offer the biggest shakeup to European privacy law for 20 years Partner Michael Park Senior Associate Alice Williams and Paralegals Phoebe St John ...