361-370 of 536 results
Trace but don't track – Australia's approach to digital contact tracing
The Australian Government has flagged that Australia's baseline 'social distancing' restrictions may be eased more quickly if, among other things, at least 40% of Australians download and use a new voluntary digital contact tracing app, 'COVID Trace'. The announcement has sparked significant debate ...
Climate change and project approvals
Climate change impacts have for many years been accepted as a relevant consideration in the assessment of planning and environmental applications in Australia. Until recently, the focus of consent authorities has been primarily on the direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of a project from owned and ...
Carbon farming and the Emissions Reduction Fund / Climate Solutions Fund
The legislative regime for the generation of carbon credits from voluntary emissions reduction projects (otherwise known as 'carbon farming') in Australia was first established in 2014. ...
A pathway to sensible, long-lasting reform – the Federal Government's 'JobMaker' agenda
In a briefing to the National Press Club on 26 May 2020, Prime Minister Scott Morrison outlined the Federal Government's 'JobMaker' agenda as a key aspect of its plan for economic recovery from the CO ...
Easing of COVID-19 restrictions prompts return to work planning
States and territories have recently eased the restrictions on business closures and public gatherings, prompting a wave of return to work planning. However, businesses need to be aware of a variety o ...
JobKeeper fortnights – do two fortnights equal a month?
The Fair Work Commission (the FWC) has released an opinion on how to deal with monthly paid employees under the JobKeeper scheme.1 ...
Varying redundancy payments due to COVID-19 hardship
For some employers, managing the impact of COVID-19 on their business may ultimately involve making redundancies, and some may struggle to meet their obligations to employees with respect to redundancy pay. This article considers this scenario in the context of two recent Fair Work Commission decisions. ...
Buyers and sellers beware! Expenditure deductions denied and gains taxed as income
Recent decisions handed down by both the High Court and Federal Court in relation to the 'income/capital distinction' and 'blackhole expenditure' have produced a mix of predictable and unexpected, but generally unfavourable, outcomes for taxpayers. Most buyers have been denied deductions for the pur ...
The COVIDSafe Bill – good progress, but there's more to do
The COVIDSafe app has been marketed as offering privacy 'protected by law'. On Sunday, the Federal Government released an exposure draft of legislation designed to put those protections in place, and to dispel lingering doubts about the app. ...