When purchasing property in Queensland, unless you are eligible to obtain a first home concession (and the purchase price of the property is less than $550,000.00 for an existing property or $400,000.00 for vacant land) there will be Stamp Duty payable on the purchase of the property. Often, purchasers can overlook the inclusion of their...
On the 6th of December 2012 the Workplace Gender Equality Act received royal assent, and will be phased in over the coming two years. Gender equality reporting requirements will undergo significant changes as a result of the Act for large private sector employers who have over 100 employees. The requirement for employer’s to develop equal...
The applicant filed an application with the Court, which amongst other things, sought a declaration of the existence of a ‘de facto’ relationship with the respondent between September 1992 and 18 February 2010. The respondent denied that a defacto relationship existed, and if in fact it was found that it had existed, he argued that the relationship...
A recent decision by the Fair Work Commission has reinforced the oft-repeated warning – that private use of social media can adversely affect your employment. In this case, the Applicant had been employed by a company on a full-time basis, but was operating his own company on the side. The Applicant sent a mass email...
Parental Leave From 29 December 2013, parents will be entitled to take concurrent parental leave of 8 weeks, a large increase from the previous entitlement of 3 weeks. Furthermore, any employee’s entitlement to unpaid parental leave will not be reduced by any amount of unpaid special maternity leave taken by an eligible employee. Flexible Working...
Mother –v- Non-Parent Interestingly, in the recent decision in the case of Withall, Richardson and Powles, where the matter at hand was determining with whom the children should live, Walters J ordered that the children live with Ms Powles, the father’s former de facto partner, instead of their mother. His Honour discussed the weight that...
Last week the Queensland Court of Appeal confirmed that a contract was able to be terminated on the grounds that a covering letter sent by the seller’s solicitor did not properly direct the buyer’s attention to the 30C Warning Statement, Contract of Sale and Information Statement. Following execution of the contract, the seller’s solicitor returned...
A concerning issue which has been highlighted in the media recently is the fraudulent use of Enduring Power of Attorney’s or ‘EPA’s’, with a shocking statistic that at least one EPA a week is being revoked by courts or tribunals after being presented with evidence of significant fraud. An ‘Enduring Power of Attorney’, or ‘EPA’...
Queenslanders are expected to enjoy the benefits of new technology when it comes to buying or selling property, with the introduction of the new national electronic conveyancing system expected to be in operation later this year. The Electronic Conveyancing National Law (Queensland) Bill 2012 will permit solicitors to electronically sign documents on their client’s behalf,...
A recent introduction in Queensland Parliament allows specifically selected and trained Justice of the Peace (Qualified) to sit as adjudicator as make orders in relation to minor civil dispute matters in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) up to $5,000.00. The pilot program, which has been enacted under the auspices of the Queensland Civil...
