FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD (“FIRB”) CHANGES EFFECTIVE 1 DECEMBER 2015 1. RURAL LAND At present, foreign persons are required to obtain FIRB approval prior to acquiring an interest in rural land in Australia where the combined value of the rural land and any other...
Foreign Investment changes and the effects on Developers
FOREIGN INVESTMENT REVIEW BOARD (“FIRB”) CHANGES EFFECTIVE 1 DECEMBER 2015 Foreign persons are required to apply for FIRB Approval prior to purchasing residential real estate in Australia. Currently, there are no fees payable to FIRB by a buyer for the making of this...
Unfair Contract Provisions and Small Business
On 20 October 2015 the Treasury Legislation Amendment (Small Business and Unfair Contract Terms) Bill 2015 passed both houses of Parliament. This means that the unfair contract term provisions set out in the Australian Consumer Law and Australian Securities and...
Increased Protection for Off-the-Plan Purchasers in NSW
Proposed reforms to the Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW) On 23 September 2015, Victor Dominello, the NSW Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation announced a public consultation on the use of sunset clauses to terminate off the plan property contracts. NSW has seen an...
Checklist of Legal / Risk Issues for Publishers
Media & Technology lawyer, Peter Karcher, takes a look at some key risk areas for Publishers. MASTHEAD PROTECTION Register your mastheads as trade marks. Domain names, Business and company name registrations don’t give you protection for the name as against other...
Strata Title Schemes: Maintenance, Repairs and Termination
As published in CK Momentum Issue 8 (Click here to download) Areas of vital concern in Queensland and New South Wales are the issues surrounding maintenance and repairs of strata titled buildings, and the possibility of termination of schemes in circumstances where...
What You Need to Know About Cross Border Disputes & International Arbitration
As published in CK Momentum Issue 8 (Click here to download) Alternative dispute resolution is an integral part of global business. There is a growing need for contracts to adequately reflect an international position for any dispute resolution process that...
Joint Conference – Australia & Taiwan
As published in CK Momentum Issue 8 (Click here to download) CK recently sponsored the 29th Joint Conference of the Australia-Taiwan Business Council and its Taiwan counterpart, the Republic of China-Australia Business Council, held in Darwin on 3 and 4 September...
CK Agribusiness Group at the Ekka
As published in CK Momentum Issue 8 (Click here to download) Following on from the involvement of our Agribusiness Group in the Beef Australia Expo in Rockhampton in May, members of the Group were involved in a number of events during the Brisbane Ekka in...
Due Diligence for Foreign Investors in Rural Assets
As published in CK Momentum Issue 8 (Click here to download) To avoid the risk of replicating many of the mistakes the Japanese made in their acquisitions of property in Australia in the 1980s and 1990s,prospective foreign investors in Australian rural assets should...
Tried, Tested & Won!
As published in CK Momentum Issue 8 (Click here to download) CLARKEKANN’S RECENT SUCCESS FOR PACIFIC MAGAZINES IN TRADE MARK DISPUTE Media giants, Pacific Magazines (New Idea and That's Life!) and Bauer Media (Woman's Day and Australian Women's Weekly) recently came...
ATO Squeeze on Debt Makes SMW Cash Flow King
Practical Tips for Managing Debtors and Improving Cash Flow As published in CK Momentum Issue 8 (Click here to download) At a Small Business Summit in July 2015, the Commissioner for Taxation indicated the ATO will now take a more aggressive approach to debt...