In a landmark decision by the Australian public, the ‘Yes’ vote to change the Marriage Act 1961 to legalise same-sex marriage trumped those against the proposed amendments with a 61.6%/38.4% result, announced on 15 November 2017. While many were rejoicing at the outcome of the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, the scope and extent of...
As Christmas is fast approaching (again!) we thought it was timely to discuss one of the queries that we are often asked by our clients in the lead up to the Christmas/New Year break relating to children, namely, how is time with the children organised between separated parties over the break? We have visited this...
We are fast approaching the warmer months here in Australia, and music festivals and outdoor events are always a popular choice for many during this time of the year. However, what happens if the festival you have purchased tickets for is cancelled due tounforeseen circumstances? When purchasing a ticket for a festival, you are entering...
The recent high profile case heard by the Supreme Court in Victoria between actress Rebel Wilson and German media giant Bauer Media has come to a dramatic conclusion, with Justice Dixon finding that Bauer Media had maliciously defamed Ms Wilson. Ms Wilson was awarded a large sum of $4.5 million dollars in damages, resulting in...
A question that pops up every so often is what are the obligations of the seller when selling a house which has a somewhat murky or mysterious past? It goes without saying that properties hold many stories within their walls, hence the colloquial “if the walls could speak’, however as a buyer in Queensland there...
Following on from a recent article we published regarding cheap ‘will kits’, we often find that clients are also compromising one of the largest purchases they will make in their lifetime, being the purchase of their first home or real estate, all for the sake of saving a small amount of money. We find that...
Since the 1st October 2016 residential conveyancing transactions for which the liability for transfer duty (stamp duty) has arisen, and where the subject property is classed as ‘Additional foreign acquirer duty’ (‘AFAD’) residential land’, then if the purchaser falls within the meaning prescribed in the Duties Act 2001 as a ‘foreign acquirer’, then it is...
One of the most common myths when it comes to separation is that “all family disputes go to the Court”. However, this couldn’t be further from the truth as a vast majority of cases are resolved without the need of going to Court, and of those matters that do end up in the Court room,...
Following on from the implementation of the Tackling Alcohol-Fuelled Violence Legislation Amendment Act 2016 and to last year’s article regarding the change to trading hours (https://www.affinitylawyers.com.au/blog-view/reducing-alcohol-fuelled-violence-will-this-179), a new piece of legislation named the Liquor and Other Legislation Act 2017 was introduced in March 2017 and as a result, all premises that fall within the definition...
On 6 June 2017, the Fair Work Commission (‘the Commission’) handed down its decision in relation to the annual wage review., As a result, from 1 July 2017, the minimum annual wage in Australia has risen from $672.70 p/w ($17.70 p/h) to $694.90 p/w ($18.29 p/h). Modern award minimum rates of pay will also increase...
