News + Events

The Fair Work Commission has determined that a Philippines based “independent contractor” was an employee unfairly dismissed by her Australian employer.  Like us, you are probably curious how a foreign national living in the Philippines, who had an ‘independent contractors’ agreement with an ... READ MORE

Australian voters tend to reject US style education favouring more egalitarian systems where income does not determine access. In the US, average student debt is USD $37,693 (public and private debt) taking an average of 20 years for individuals to repay. But, students often have a gap not ... READ MORE

The cost of living has eased over the past year but consumers are still under pressure. For business, planning is the key to managing Christmas volatility. The countdown to Christmas is on and we’re in the midst of a headlong rush to maximise any remaining opportunities before the Christmas lull. ... READ MORE

The Long Service Leave (Portable Schemes) Amendment Act 2023 (‘the Amendment’) will expand the ACT’s current portable long service leave scheme to also include the hairdressing and beauty services industry, and the accommodation and food services industry. The current portable long services leave ... READ MORE

Ok, not that Succession series. Each month we’ll bring you a new perspective on transferring property. Be it estate planning, managing an inheritance, or the various forms of business succession. This month, we look at the tax consequences of inheriting property. Beyond the difficult task of d ... READ MORE

If you are aged 55 years or older, the downsizer contribution rules enable you to contribute up to $300,000 from the proceeds of the sale of your home to your superannuation fund (eligibility criteria applies). In 2023-24, over 57% of people making a ‘downsizer’ contribution to super were women. A ... READ MORE

The ability for life insurers to discriminate based on adverse predictive genetic test results will be banned under a new Government proposal. Predictive genetic tests detect gene variants associated with heritable disorders that appear after birth, often later in life, but are not clinically ... READ MORE

‘Payday super’ will overhaul the way in which superannuation guarantee is administered. We look at the first details and the impending obligations on employers. From 1 July 2026, employers will be obligated to pay superannuation guarantee (SG) on behalf of their employees on the same day as sal ... READ MORE

You login to your myGov account to find that your activity statements for the last 12 months have been amended and GST credits of $100k issued. But it wasn’t you. And you certainly didn’t get a $100k refund in your bank account. What happens now?  In what is rapidly becoming the most common t ... READ MORE

Multinational ride-sharing system Uber has successfully contested six Revenue NSW payroll tax assessments totalling over $81.5 million. The assessments were issued on the basis that Uber drivers were employees and therefore payroll tax was payable.  The Payroll Tax Act 2007 (NSW) imposes the ... READ MORE

The politicians have weighed in on the Reserve Bank of Australia’s economic policy and their reticence to reduce interest rates in the face of community pressure. We look at what the numbers are really showing.  Treasurer Jim Chalmers has stated that global uncertainty and rate rises are “ ... READ MORE

Own an investment property or an expensive lifestyle asset like a boat or aircraft? The ATO are looking closely at these assets to see if what has been declared in tax returns matches up. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has initiated two data matching programs impacting investment property ... READ MORE