Signing Contracts under Power of Attorney
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Signing Contracts under Power of Attorney

A power of attorney is an authority conferred on an individual to act or manage the financial affairs of another as their agent, and is commonly used when property is transferred. Upon signing the contract for sale/purchase the power of attorney is not required to be registered, provided there is a prior executed agreement between...

Introducing Easements to make it Easier
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Introducing Easements to make it Easier

An easement over property is a right or legal interest that either benefits or burdens a parcel of land. It is commonly used to provide access to the sewerage, drainage and other necessary services for local councils, or alternatively to allow a right of way across neighbouring land without causing significant interference. Easements are a...

Registration under the Registered Relationships Act
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Registration under the Registered Relationships Act

The Queensland Civil Partnerships and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 came into effect on 27 June 2012, and, amongst other amendments, has renamed the former Civil Partnerships Act 2011 to the Relationships Act 2011. In order to formally recognise a committed relationship between a couple, regardless of their sex, couples can now register their relationships...

Pay Nil Stamp Duty
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Pay Nil Stamp Duty

Separated couples, (married or defacto) can avoid stamp duty payments when transferring property between themselves (whether it is for a house or investment property) if their property settlement is properly documented. Which means that getting this paperwork right can represent savings of tens of thousands of dollars. To meet this requirement, the transfer of property involved...

New National Business Register
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New National Business Register

With the enactment of the Business Registration Services Act 2011, as of 28 May 2012 the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (‘ASIC’) took over the registration of business names from the States and Territory departments such as the Office of Fair Trading, which previously provided these services. There is now a single national register which...

Retention of Title Clauses and the PPSA
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Retention of Title Clauses and the PPSA

Following on from our previous article in relation to the enactment of the Personal Properties Securities Register on 30 January 2012, we remind our clients that if you or your business provide goods to customers in the course of your business, and you have previously relied on consignment/lease terms or ‘retention of title’ clauses to...

Introduction of Personal Properties Securities Register
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Introduction of Personal Properties Securities Register

On 30 January 2012, a national scheme governing security interests over most types of personal property commenced. The new national Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) consolidates security registers previously operated by the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments into a single register. Broadly, a personal property security interest occurs when a person or company takes an...

Assistance measures activated following storms and flooding
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Assistance measures activated following storms and flooding

Joint State and Federal Government-funded assistance measures have been activated for the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Coast, Gympie and Moreton Bay council areas following recent storms and flooding. Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements would help the four councils cover the cost of their counter disaster operations. Assistance for...