The Federal Government has made the 'time critical' FoFA amendments with new regulations saying that any financial product advice provided to an employer about their default superannuation fund is a financial service provided to a retail client. ...

The Australian Government has announced wide reaching changes to Australias foreign investment framework that will apply from 1 December 2015 Partner Wendy Rae reports on the potential impacts of the changes which include new fees stricter enforcement and penalties and increased scrutiny around ...

A long-awaited change designed to reduce the compliance burden for security interests arising from short-term leases of serial numbered goods is one step closer to becoming law Partner Karla Fraser and Law Graduate Katharine Ward report ...

The Australian corporate debt market is primed for growth, with an increase in the number of funds providing direct lending as an alternative source of financing to the traditional lending dominated by domestic banks. ...

Victorian Planning Minister Richard Wynne has made his views on apartments known through comments to the media and at industry events about small apartments where he can touch the ceiling and where the shower is over the toilet Mr Wynne has now released a discussion paper on better apartments ...

The exposure draft Bill for the taxation of 'attribution managed investment trusts' has been received with much derision. We consider the key implications ...

Recent reforms to the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 Cth introduced new provisions that deem foreign government investors of the same country to be associates of each other These provisions have created practical difficulties for foreign government investors who risk unintentionally ...

This Insight considers whether the new Corporate Collective Inestment Vehichle is likely to replace the unit trust as the vehicle of choice for wholesale (as opposed to retail) fund structures. ...

The ASIC Enforcement Taskforces latest consultation paper pushes for a tougher penalty regime for corporate and financial sector misconduct which has been key focus of the Taskforces Terms of Reference and indeed of ASICs reform agenda for some time Partner Belinda Thompson Senior Associate Michela ...

While ASIC has published information on the issue of coins or tokens in initial coin offerings other regulators around the world have also been issuing guidance with some taking a much more restrictive approach Although Australia remains a relatively friendly regulatory environment for such ...