The November 2016 amendments to the Australian Consumer Law (which extended the prohibition on ‘unfair terms' to contracts with small businesses) are starting to bite. Enforcement action by the ACCC since the amendments were introduced have demonstrated the Commission’s strong desire to get tough on onerous standard terms contracts. Under the amended legislation, some contracts [...]
When does an Accounting Firm owe a duty with respect to occupational health and safety to employees who work from home? What are those duties? What can or should an accounting firm do to fulfil any obligation owed to employees who work from home? Do the employer’s obligations differ, and if so how, when the [...]
A behaviour that is perfectly acceptable in one workplace may be cause for summary dismissal in another. Take the use of a mobile phone - it’s expected of an office worker, but it is typically forbidden in the context of a food production line. The rulebook was crystal clear in the case of the Fresh [...]
What to Do Under New Data Breach Laws There is no sound more cringe-worthy than the ‘whoosh’ of a misdirected email. As of today, that moment of realization- the moment the email escapes your outbox and takes with it all the air from your lungs - will be even more agonizing. Under the Notifiable Data [...]
