401-410 of 1051 results
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. ...
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. ...
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 ...
Good practice for exchange traded products: ASIC updates INFO 230 'Exchange traded products: Admission guidelines'
On 15 April 2020, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) released updated INFO 230 Exchange traded products: Admission guidelines (INFO 230) which outlines ASIC's view of good practices to help ensure that admission and monitoring standards for exchange traded products (ETPs) continue to support fair, orderly and transparent markets. ...
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 ...
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 ...
COVIDSafe – what we now know
On Sunday, the Australian Government launched its voluntary digital contact tracing app 'COVIDSafe', along with the app's Privacy Policy, an independent Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) and the Department of Health's response to that PIA. The Chief Medical Officer has predicted that the application will have been downloaded more than 2 million times by the end of Monday. ...
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. ...
Navigating the way forward: steps to prepare your business for the COVID-19 rollback
We have prepared a selection of recommendations to help businesses and their senior in-house advisors navigate the challenges arising from a rollback of COVID-19 restrictions and, equally, to identify potential opportunities presented by this rapidly changing legal landscape. ...