Legal

Australia’s one million independent contractors now have access to a free handbook from the Government to help ‘get the contract right’ at the start and avoid headaches down the track.

With the Queensland floods finally retreating and normal business resuming, Australian employers are urged to learn from the Queensland experience and carefully consider their legal obligations towards staff affected by unexpected disasters or events.

Online trader, Philip Robinson, has been convicted and ordered to pay nearly $15,000 in fines and costs for selling non-compliant infant sleep bags known as Grobags.

With the arrival of 2011, employers should familiarise themselves with their obligations under the paid parental leave legislation which came into force on 1 January 2011.

Telstra licensed retail store owners, who operate Telstra branded stores under license from Telstra, rather than a franchise agreement, may get collective bargaining approval with a range of suppliers after the ACCC issued a draft determination in favour of a deal.

Starting a business is always an exciting and daunting time – registrations, accountants, setting up tax requirements and then the marketing, production and sales processes.

Family Trusts, also known as Discretionary Trusts are a popular way of structuring small business in Australia, but Family Trusts are are in the ATO’s firing line with news that trustees could lose their streaming benefits under a new ruling soon to be released by the ATO.

Gerry Harvey’s calls for a GST on imported goods bought online has caught the attention of Australian IT retailer eStore, with eStore.com.au offering customers GST-free goods this weekend, 15 and 16 January 2011.

Many start-ups do not initially have the capital to spend on compliance requirements and complicated legal structures. But there are some essentials you can’t afford to ignore. Here is Dynamic Business’ Legal 101 guide for start-ups!

Intellectual assets can account for more than 80 percent of a company’s value yet the majority of companies don’t ensure they are getting the most out of them. This hidden value can set you apart from competitors.

Australian small businesses are being blindsided by important changes to workplaces laws that took effect on January 1, according to an industry expert.

Power Balance wristbands and pendants have ‘no credible scientific basis’ and have been removed for sale by Power Balance Australia after Australian Competition and Consumer Commission intervention.

With the end of the year approaching and many businesses finalising employee remuneration and bonus payouts, employers are urged to use this opportunity to update their employment contracts, particularly provisions applied to confidential information and restraints of trade, which may be either unsatisfactorily drafted, or out of date, according to Harmers Workplace Lawyers.

Thirty-eight percent of employees have been less productive than normal in the lead-up to the Christmas break, 35% say they have been just as productive and 27% have been more productive, according to new research.

M Webster Holdings Pty Ltd, trading as David Lawrence, Jigsaw and Marcs, has paid three Infringement Notices totalling $19,800 to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission following an investigation into Webster’s refund policies.

Virgin Blue looks likely to be given approval by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission on a code sharing agreement with Middle East airline Etihad, with draft approval given by ACCC the same day the competition regulator approved Virgin Blue’s alliance with Air New Zealand.

Optus is seeking an injunction against Vodafone for misleading advertising surrounding Vodafone’s ‘infinite’ mobile plans aimed at business customers.

The number of people experiencing a work-related injury or illness has declined by almost 20 percent in 2009-10, according to figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Lisa Berton, a Partner in Kemp Strang’s Employment Law practice, says several legal cases in recent months have dealt with social media in the workplace, however the definition of acceptable conduct is still blurred. She offers five tips to avoid a law suit over social media use by employees.

A rising tide of social media legal cases has provided guidance, but not certainty for both workers and employers, according to a legal expert.