At the recent APEC conference in Bali the finance ministers of Australia New Zealand Singapore and South Korea signed a formal Statement of Intent on the establishment of the Asia Region Funds Passport which will allow fund managers based in participating countries to market and sell certain managed ...

The Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples has released its interim report The report indicates that there is likely to be bipartisan support for constitutional amendments giving specific recognition to Aboriginal and Torres Strait ...

Australia continues to expand its network of investment treaties In light of this Australian investors should consider a review of the treaty protections that apply to their foreign investments If a treaty includes an investor-State dispute settlement mechanism the investor may be able to resolve ...

The Queensland Supreme Court has held that mining leases did not constitute an interest in land for the purposes of the former land rich duty regime While subsequent amendments to the Duties Act 2001 Qld mean that mining tenements are now treated as an interest in land the decision provides much ...

In preparing its Final Report the FSI has clearly paid close attention to the report of the Senate Economics References Committees Report into ASICs performance and its recommendations designed to strengthen ASIC through a combination of better funding an enhanced regulatory toolkit and higher ...

A landmark High Court decision has determined that a term of mutual trust and confidence is not necessary and should not be implied at law into employment contracts in Australia Special Counsel Eleanor Jewell reports ...

The UKs regulatory authorities have imposed the largest ever fines in Europe for technology failures in the financial services industry following a serious IT incident affecting more than 65 million customers in the UK It should serve as a cautionary tale for Australian financial institutions ...

By a two to one majority the NSW Court of Appeal has held that the Independent Commission Against Corruption had no power under the ICAC Act to investigate an allegation to the effect that as a result of conduct involving an alleged intention to pervert the course of justice a public official had ...

In Warkworth Mining Ltd v Bulga Milbrodale Progress Association Inc the NSW Court of Appeal upheld the decision of the NSW Land and Environment Court LEC to refuse approval for the expansion of the Warkworth Mine near Bulga NSW ...

The Queensland Government is proposing legislation that will restore a prohibition on landlords requiring tenants to pay land tax under commercial leases entered into after 1 January 1992 and before 30 June 2009 This essentially negates the effect of a Supreme Court decision that land tax from 30 ...