If Victoria is short of land for housing, why do we still allow people to contract out of the planning system?

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Matthew D. Townsend

If the Victorian government wants to find land for additional housing, it should consider limiting people from contracting out of the planning system. At the moment, the provisions for removing restrictive covenants via the Planning and Environment Act 1987 barely … Continue reading →

Disability royal commission delivers findings; 'Fake nurse' jailed in Australian legal first

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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

What recommendations does the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability make in its final report to the federal government? And, in a legal first, a South Australian woman has been sent to jail for impersonating a registered health practitioner. 

The Hidden Risks of DIY Conveyancing

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As Australia’s spring selling season kicks off, some vendors might consider going down the do-it-yourself (DIY) conveyancing route to save money. But while it can be tempting, particularly given the current cost of living, there are many risks involved in managing your own conveyancing.

Providing legal protection

When using a

Navigating Privacy Versus AI in Business

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As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to develop, businesses and consumers are becoming more concerned about how to manage the relationship between privacy and AI.

For industry and the public sector, AI, machine learning and using big data has opened new avenues for growth and development. But this brings with it

Defamation on Social Media Sparks Legal Challenges

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Two cases in Australia in the last few months have once again highlighted the need to exercise caution when posting on social media. The two cases, one in Queensland and one in Western Australia, concern statements of defamation posted on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

In 2021, changes to Victorian defamation

Victorian government considering rent cap

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Melbourne might be Australia’s most affordable city to rent a house, with a median rent of $520 per week during the June quarter, according to Domain’s house price report.

But nonetheless, the state government recently indicated it’s considering rent controls as part of a new housing package. The rent controls

Australia’s corporate insolvency laws facing extensive reforms

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In July, the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services handed down its long-awaited report into the effectiveness of Australia’s corporate insolvency laws.

The inquiry has been ten months in the making, during which the committee heard from insolvency and legal practitioners, government agencies, unions, creditors (both large and

ACT leads the way in assisting vulnerable people in court

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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

In recent years, a number of jurisdictions around Australia have introduced Vulnerable Witness Intermediary Services. These services assist complainants such as children and those with intellectual and cognitive disabilities to give evidence in court or answer questions in police interviews.  While this service in Australia is currently only offered to

02/ Justice, but not in my language

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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Hundreds of thousands of Australian residents, a figure now approaching one million, don’t speak English well, or at all. The growing demand for interpreters and the shortfall in those who are suitably qualified to work in the legal sector is putting severe pressure on Australia’s busiest courts. 

02/ Justice, but not in my language

This post was originally published on this site

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Hundreds of thousands of Australian residents, a figure now approaching one million, don’t speak English well, or at all. The growing demand for interpreters and the shortfall in those who are suitably qualified to work in the legal sector is putting severe pressure on Australia’s busiest courts. 

01/ Justice, but not in my language

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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Lawyers in the Northern Territory say the shortage in Indigenous interpreters has become so critical that it’s contributing to the vast over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the criminal justice system.

01/ Justice, but not in my language

This post was originally published on this site

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Lawyers in the Northern Territory say the shortage in Indigenous interpreters has become so critical that it’s contributing to the vast over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the criminal justice system.

Are verbal agreements enforceable?

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You may have heard that former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou was appointed manager of prominent English soccer club Tottenham Hotspur. But what you might not know is that, before the two parties signed a contract, they reached a verbal agreement.

That begs the question: are verbal agreements enforceable in Australia?

Singing to the sea

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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

This episode revisits the historic Federal Court decision to confirm native title over more than 40,000 square kilometres of sea country in the Torres Strait region last year. For the first time the claim brought together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to achieve joint native title outcomes. Traditional singing provided

Singing to the sea

This post was originally published on this site

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

This episode revisits the historic Federal Court decision to confirm native title over more than 40,000 square kilometres of sea country in the Torres Strait region last year. For the first time the claim brought together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians to achieve joint native title outcomes. Traditional singing provided

How to avoid business disputes

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UFC Gym Australia entered voluntary administration last month “after becoming embroiled in a messy $5 million court case with several disgruntled franchisee owners”, according to news.com.au.

What makes this story important is not the specifics of the company or court case but the lesson it teaches: when it comes to business

'Tsunami of suffering': Robodebt royal commission findings explained

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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Robodebt royal commission has made damning findings about government ministers and public servants who created and administered the automated debt recovery scheme from Centrelink recipients. And why is the technology company that created ChatGPT being sued in US courts? 

'Tsunami of suffering': Robodebt royal commission findings explained

This post was originally published on this site

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Robodebt royal commission has made damning findings about government ministers and public servants who created and administered the automated debt recovery scheme from Centrelink recipients. And why is the technology company that created ChatGPT being sued in US courts? 

Criminals steal $300k in property scam

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Barely a month goes by without reports of a property scam making the news, including the recent example of a Western Australian real estate agency that had more than $300,000 of buyers’ money stolen from its trust account.

What these scams have in common is that criminals have developed incredibly

The Tribunal finds flavoured yoghurt product taxable and payment of 50% of the price was not a “deposit”

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The Tribunal has handed down two decisions relating to GST. One confirming the Commissioner’s view of the taxable treatment of a flavoured yoghurt product sold in a plastic tub which included a separate compartment containing a blend of cookie pieces and white chocolate chips which were intended to be “flipped”

Kids' book points refugee mums to legal help

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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

When refugees arrive in Australia, they face huge challenges. So, how do they access the support they need? Perhaps counterintuitively, a newly launched children’s book is designed to help refugees get legal assistance.

Kids' book points refugee mums to legal help

This post was originally published on this site

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

When refugees arrive in Australia, they face huge challenges. So, how do they access the support they need? Perhaps counterintuitively, a newly launched children’s book is designed to help refugees get legal assistance.

Does Australia need a Criminal Cases Review Commission?

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Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Why did it take the justice system 20 years to work out that Kathleen Folbigg was wrongly convicted over the deaths of her four infant children? Does Australia need a better way to investigate possible miscarriages of justice?

Does Australia need a Criminal Cases Review Commission?

This post was originally published on this site

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Why did it take the justice system 20 years to work out that Kathleen Folbigg was wrongly convicted over the deaths of her four infant children? Does Australia need a better way to investigate possible miscarriages of justice?

What happens if you don’t use a registered builder?

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If you’re renovating or building a domestic structure, you need to hire a registered builder if the work is worth more than $10,000. You also need a written ‘major domestic building contract’.

In this context, building work includes:

Constructing a home, including the landscaping, paving, retaining structures, driveways, fencing,

Your product must meet these seven consumer guarantees

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In a recent court case, Mazda was found to have breached Australian consumer law because they gave customers the run-around by refusing to refund or replace their faulty cars.

In Australia, the products we buy are required to meet these seven consumer guarantees:

1. Be of acceptable quality

The product

What happens if your property developer goes bust?

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The construction of 1,700 dwellings is in limbo after builder Porter Davis Homes collapsed. Of these, about 250 homes were close to completion, according to the liquidator Grant Thornton.

Although several companies wanted to buy some of Porter Davis Homes’ assets, no buyers were willing to buy all the assets

What are employers’ responsibilities for workplace safety?

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In April, Prestige Truck Bodies was fined $225,000 for creating unsafe working conditions after a worker was crushed to death. The workers were lifting heavy materials which slipped and crushed the floor manager.

In this case the employer should have trained the employees to recognise that a container was unsafely