If you are planning to buy a community title scheme property (also known as strata or group title), there are some important legal matters that you should know. What is a community title scheme property? A community title scheme is essentially an area of land that is divided into at least two lots or units...

When out-of-hours conduct are cause for dismissal Our previous blog “When does out-of-hours conduct cause for employee dismissal?” highlighted the consequences for employees who engage in certain conduct outside work hours such as a fight, sexual harassment, social media content and public drinking. Recent cases of Sydney Trains v Andrew Bobrenitsky (2022) and Corry v...

The superannuation guarantee (SG) is the minimum percentage of a salary that an employer must contribute to an employee’s superannuation fund. The percentage is legislated and controlled by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). The current SG percentage is 10% of employees’ ordinary time earnings. From 1 July 2022, the SG will increase from 10% to...

Existing IP – Buyer beware Thinking of buying a business’ intellectual property? Before you sign on the dotted line, there are a few things to consider. What is intellectual property? Intellectual property, also known as IP, refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, and symbols, names and images...

Co-ownership agreements are becoming increasingly important. With the rising costs of housing and land, it’s common to see multiple persons (other than spouses) owning property. Whether it’s a first home with siblings to get into the property market, an investment property or farmland for the family’s business, a co-ownership agreement can save you costly disputes....

Changes to REIQ residential contract from 20 January 2022. On 20 January 2022, the Contract for Houses and Residential Land was amended and now includes new standard terms to accommodate new court decisions and updated legislation. The following clauses have significant impact on the sale and purchase of residences. Clause 7.8 Compliant Smoke Alarms The...

Can an employer direct an employee to be vaccinated? We have previously written about the COVID-19 business restrictions in Queensland and how an employer may require an employee to be vaccinated. While that may be the case, it is not as straight forward as it may seem. There are specific considerations when determining who must...

COVID-19 business restrictions and requirements in Queensland, on 8 October 2021, the Chief Health Officer issued directions in accordance with emergency powers arising from the declared public health emergency. These directions set out the requirements that restricted businesses in Queensland must follow. Restricted businesses included businesses in the hospitality, entertainment venues, personal care services industries,...

If you have ever signed a commercial lease, you may be familiar with the common option to renew term. This allows for the tenant to exercise their right to renew the lease and continue to exercise their rights under that lease after the expiration date. It is important to understand your rights and obligations under...

Direction from Chief Health Officer – Emergency powers arising from COVID-19 While there has been some debate regarding mandatory vaccination requirements, the recent public health direction has set out new requirements for workers in healthcare, their employees, and responsible persons in healthcare settings, including limited exceptions. On 29 January 2020, the Minister for Health and...