In Show 136 – Monthly Legal Updater October 2018 originally broadcast on Facebook Live on Friday 5 October 2018 we go through the changes to the law from the last month.
Show Notes
Time once again for an update on all things legal in Australia and around the world.
Jones defamation case
Australian radio personality Alan Jones has been ordered to pay $3.4 million dollars in a defamation case. The broadcaster was found to have been “willfully blind to the truth” when he said that four brothers were responsible for a 2011 flood.
Bankruptcy reforms
In September the government tabled new legislation to change the bankruptcy act. Some of the changes include a doubling of the current asset threshold amount. The bill also reduces the bankruptcy period to one year. The Attorney General calls it the most comprehensive change to the bill in over a decade.
Max Brenner enters administration
Chocolate retailer Max Brenner has entered voluntary administration, blaming sluggish sales for the decision. The company operates 37 stores across the country and employed over 600 people.
ASIC and ACCC news
ASIC says it continues to monitor unfair contract terms for small business. This comes after a number of lenders have changed the terms of their small business loans. It has recommended some changes but they are small, so far.
Fitness First Australia has paid a penalty to the ACCC. The company paid a $12 thousand fine over allegations it over charged customers for using credit cards for their membership fees.
Westpac has admitted to breaching it’s responsible lending provisions and agreed to pay a $35 million fine. The company was miscalculating customers ability to pay.
More about this Show
We started Business Legal Lifecycle to create a simple way for you to understand complex legal terms. Most importantly we want to help you to develop a plan to take your business successfully into the future. There’s a startling statistic the underscores the importance of developing a solid plan. The majority of business owners are just seven months away from losing everything. A single aspect of your business that is not set-up correctly can shut down your whole operation very quickly. Legal advice is not cheap and even when you can afford it there is often a divide between lawyers and their clients. We want to close that gap once and for all. We want to put legal knowledge and tools into your hand to prevent the worst from happening to you.
Twice a week we are going to deliver those tools right to your home or office with Business Legal Lifecycle TV. We’ll start the week with Fast Fix Monday, a short 5-10 minute video that will tackle a single issue that businesses have to deal with. Then on Wednesday’s our main show will feature with more fulsome discussions and interviews all delivered in a straightforward and easy to understand format.