The 2017 Budget included proposals intended to reduce pressure on housing affordability Two of them use the superannuation system to do so the First Home Super Saver Scheme and the Reducing Barriers to Downsizing proposal Partner Michelle Levy examines the schemes in more detail ...

As of 1 September 2017 merchants will be prohibited from charging excessive payment surcharges for certain payment methods Under the new rules businesses can only pass on to customers what it costs them to process a payment The Allens Competition team have put together a brief overview of the ...

In Touch looks at what's been happening in Competition this month and what it means for your business ...

The Full Federal Court has unanimously held that patent term extensions are not available for second medical use claims involving the use of recombinant DNA technology This decision overturns a controversial finding of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal last year and means that any patent term ...

OAIC concludes investigation of Australian Red Cross data breach where a one-off human error by a third party provider's employee led to a massive data breach that hit the Australian Red Cross Blood Service ...

ASIC has released draft updates to four existing Regulatory Guides and drafts of two new Regulatory Guides for managed investment schemes corporate collective investment vehicles and passport funds and announced a consultation period which will run until 8 December Partners Marc Kemp and Penny ...

A broadened definition of whistleblower reforms to establish greater protections for whistleblowers and increased sanctions for retaliatory conduct are some of the recommendations by a Senate committee looking into whistleblower protections in the corporate public and not-for-profit sector We expect ...

After a considerable gestation period the proposed new design and distribution obligations for financial products, and intervention powers for ASIC, took their first, tentative steps yesterday, with the release of exposure draft legislation. ...

The Full Federal Court has handed down a significant decision on preliminary discovery in a result that will be welcomed by IP owners, as the court has clarified the requirements for a successful preliminary discovery application while emphasising the need for such applications to be met with brevit ...

There has been a great deal of attention given to the meanings of financial product advice and personal advice in the Corporations Act and many of us are eagerly waiting to see what Justice Gleeson will say about the topic in the case ASIC has brought against the BT trustees. ...