371-380 of 1051 results
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. ...
Even broad governmental powers have limitations - Brett Cattle Company Pty Ltd v Minister for Agriculture
The decision in Brett Cattle Company Pty Ltd v Minister for Agriculture serves as a timely reminder that there are limits on the exercise of seemingly broad governmental powers, and is especially relevant at a time where governmental powers are being used to respond rapidly to the COVID-19 crisis. ...
State of trade: COVID-19's impacts on trade regulation and supply chain risks
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many aspects of international commerce, and will continue do so for some time. In this Insight, we discuss three critical trade-related impacts of the pandemic on Australian businesses. ...
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 ...
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. ...
Long overdue – how the new continuous disclosure and litigation funder regulation measures seek to curb entrepreneurial class actions
In recent days, the economic uncertainty created by the COVID-19 pandemic has proved the catalyst for the introduction of two long-debated changes to Australia's class action and continuous disclosure regimes. ...
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 ...
Treasurer temporarily amends continuous disclosure laws during COVID-19 crisis
The Treasurer has used his emergency powers under the Corporations Act (the Act) to temporarily modify the operation of Australia's continuous disclosure laws. The Treasurer's release states that the changes are designed to enable listed companies to more confidently provide earnings guidance ...
RBA expands repo eligibility to include corporate bonds
The RBA has announced changes aimed at kick-starting demand for corporate bonds in the COVID-19 environment. To take advantage of the RBA's support, corporate treasurers and their financial advisers should consider applying to have their securities eligible for purchase by the RBA, bearing in mind the eligibility criteria we have summarised in this note. ...
Overhaul of Victorian environmental laws delayed until 1 July 2021
The Environment Protection Amendment Act 2018 (Vic) (EP Act), which was set to commence on 1 July 2020 (and overhaul environmental laws in Victoria) will now commence on1 July 2021 as part of a suite of emergency measures in response to COVID-19. Our team looks at the COVID-19 Act and how it relates ...