CONVEYANCING: YOU MAY BE AFFECTED BY NEW TAX LAWS

Buying a house? New tax laws may affect you

Selling a house? Escalating house prices are a big issue in Australia as countless people struggle to afford to buy their own homes. The Federal Government attributes this problem to foreign ownership of real property and has attempted to combat it by introducing new taxes in 2016. Then on 1 July 2017, changes to the…

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CRIMINAL LAW: WHAT IF A POLICE SEARCH IS UNLAWFUL?

Illegal Police Search

What happens when a police search is unlawful? Does it mean that the evidence will always be excluded, or are there exceptions? These questions were the subject of two recent decisions on stop and search issues. R v Armistead – unlawful police search Police were called to a suburban neighbourhood after residents reported a large van…

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PERSONAL INJURY CLAIMS: IF YOU SUE, WILL YOU GET YOUR MONEY?

If you sue for personal injury, will you get your money?

After a co-worker assaulted him without warning, a man was seriously injured. His injuries were extensive and ongoing, meaning that he could no longer work. After his workers compensation payments ended, he successfully took legal action against his co-worker, securing an award of $815,000 in damages. The problem was that the co-worker was a declared…

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SECRET RECORDINGS USED IN FAMILY LAW CASE

Listening device secret recording

Is it legal to secretly record conversations that you’ve had with your ex? This was the issue in a recent case in which a woman tried to use secret recordings to prove that her relationship with her former partner was more than just sexual.  Although this case concerned NSW surveillance device laws, there may be…

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