Legal Writers Wrap Up: August 2018

Legal Writers Wrap up

August might have been cold, but over at Legal Writers we’re just warming up. Hot off the presses, here’s all the latest in Australian legal news. Employers, consumer businesses and property investors might want to know, too, so why not share with your clients?

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Immigration

From 12 August 2018, employers who want to nominate skilled overseas workers need to contribute to the Skilling Australia Fund (SAF). How much a business must contribute depends on the visa they want to sponsor and the business’ turnover.

Relevant to: any business who wants to sponsor someone on a skilled visa

Labour market testing rules have changed. Employers must now place two advertisements for a position in English with specific details about the position. These ads must be open for last 28 days.

Relevant to: any business who is willing to accept applications from overseas nationals.

Competition and Consumer Law

The penalties for breaching the Australian Consumer Law have been increased for a range of offences including unconscionable conduct, false or misleading representations about goods or services, various other unfair practices, certain provisions regarding the safety of consumer goods and product-related services and information standards. The maximum penalty is the greater of $10 million, or 3 times the gain from the contravention, or 10% of the annual turnover of the company in the last 12 months. The maximum penalty for individuals is now $500,000.

Relevant to: any consumer business

Property

The ATO has its eye on short-term holiday rental owners, announcing a data-matching scheme to discover if people are under-reporting rental income or over reporting deductions.

Relevant to: property investors and financial advisers

From October, the Australian Building Codes Board will be launching consultations into whether a minimum accessibility standard should be applied to new housing.

Relevant to: builders and property developers.

Employment

A recent case before the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia has found that where casual employees work regular predictable hours, they are entitled to the same statutory entitlements as permanent employees irrespective for official work status.

Relevant to: any employer employing staff on a casual basis.