The Australian Government has announced that from 1 March 2015 acquisitions of agricultural land worth more than A15 million and any additional acquisitions over and above that amount will require government approval It will also establish a foreign ownership register of agricultural land ...

After almost 10 years of negotiations between the nations on 17 November 2014 Prime Minister Abbott and President Xi announced the conclusion of negotiations on the China Australia Free Trade Agreement ChAFTA Once implemented the ChAFTA is expected to significantly reduce import barriers for ...

Today the Full Federal Court clarified the law of penalties as it applies to fees The key development is that in considering whether the amount of a fee is extravagant and exorbitant compared to the potential costs incurred in dealing with a failure to perform an obligation the court held that ...

The recent Great Southern class action settlement included a term by which group members acknowledged and admitted that loans taken out with independent financiers to finance investments in Great Southern managed investment schemes were valid and enforceable Two separate Victorian Supreme Court ...

Anti-corruption was high on the agenda at the B20 Australia summit recently held in Sydney Allens Partner Rachel Nicolson a director of the UN Global Compact Network Australia and convenor of its Anti-Corruption Leadership Group attended the summit and provides an overview of the issues discussed ...

The Governments much anticipated FOFA regulations were registered today and provide significant relief for benefits provided to employees and representatives of product issuers who provide general advice They also expressly allow bonuses to be linked to successful product sales providing the bonus ...

Partners Leighton OBrien and Nicholas Ng provide an overview on public-private partnerships PPPs in Australia examining the general PPP framework trends in the industry the procurement process operation and maintenance default and termination and financing ...

A Bill is currently before Federal Parliament that will more closely but not completely align the foreign non-portfolio dividend NANE treatment with debtequity concepts Partner Martin Fry and Senior Associate Jennifer Richards report on the changes ...

Allens has advised ANZ and NAB as lenders on a matter that will see Mermaid Marine Australia Limited (MMA) receive new debt facilities, including a US$227 million facility, to part-fund its S$625 ...

Allens has advised the Tianqi Group, China's largest producer of lithium-based chemicals, on its US$1 billion lithium joint venture with Rockwood which closed today. Allens advised Tianqi Group on ...