When a relationship ends, one of the most important issues is how property, liabilities, superannuation and financial resources will be divided. In Australia, property settlement is not based on an automatic 50/50 split. The Court does not apply a fixed formula. Instead, it considers what outcome is just and equitable in the circumstances of each …
Property Settlement After Separation: 2026 Family Law Changes Read More »
Earlier in 2026, a letter sent by an AFL club to a 78-year-old supporter attracted widespread media coverage and public criticism. The practice of bequest solicitation, while common across both charitable and commercial organisations, drew sharp reaction in this instance. Critics questioned whether a sporting club soliciting testamentary gifts from elderly supporters crossed a line …
Insistent Charitable Bequests: Beneficial or Bad Taste? Read More »
You have signed the contract, chosen your conveyancer and are waiting for the next step. Instead of a costs disclosure, you receive a questionnaire asking where your deposit is coming from, whether you hold or have ever held a prominent public office in any country, and whether you are acting on behalf of someone else. …
AML Conveyancing Rules: What NSW Buyers Need to Know Read More »
From 1 July 2026, the way employers across Australia pay superannuation changes fundamentally. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Payday Superannuation) Act 2025 ends the quarterly payment model. It requires employers to pay superannuation guarantee contributions on each payday. Funds must reach the employee’s super fund within seven business days. For most businesses, this means superannuation becomes …
Payday Super is Here – And the ATO Has a Seven Day Countdown Read More »
A recent Federal Court decision has set aside a visa cancellation character test ruling because the Tribunal failed to engage with handwritten letters from three children. A reminder that decision-makers cannot treat children’s voices as mere character references. The Case at a Glance In Sumeo v Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs [2026] FCA …
Visa Cancellation & the Character Test: How Children’s Evidence Can Change the Outcome Read More »
Background The 2026-27 Federal Budget was delivered on 12 May 2026. It introduced three reforms affecting trust properties. These apply to both testamentary and discretionary trusts. The reforms cover abolition of the 50% CGT discount, restrictions on negative gearing, and a 30% minimum tax on discretionary trust income. Each reform has a different commencement date. …
2026-27 Federal Budget Trust Properties: What You Need to Know Read More »
Every litigator who briefs experts has had the experience of opening a draft report and feeling a quiet drop in the stomach. The opinion is fine but the reasoning is gone. Or the assumptions are wrong. Or the witness has wandered into a paragraph that no person in their field could give. Thankfully, there is …
Briefing the expert: what the judges actually say Read More »
Michael Meek J was appointed to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in late 2022 after more than two decades at the equity bar. 138 published judgments since. No decision overturned on appeal. Several already cited as authority by the Court of Appeal. “When you’d buy vinyl, you’d have this lovely-sized object with a …
A $3 billion company is being forced to rebrand in its home market after years of trademark infringement, and the honest concurrent use defence it relied upon has been decisively rejected by the High Court. This decision isn’t just a corporate cautionary tale; it’s a warning to any business that has ever assumed a name …
When relationships break down, many parents understandably worry about the impact of separation on their children. Research on children and divorce conflict consistently shows that the focus should not be on whether separation occurs, but on how its consequences are managed. Under Australian family law, the guiding principle in s 60CC of the Family Law …
How Children and Divorce Conflict Shapes Outcomes More Than Separation Itself Read More »