August 2013 Issue 85

Last month in this article I bemoaned the fact that the 2013 Federal Budget had no offsetting investment in industry development or infrastructure for Canberra to minimise the disproportionally negative impact of significant cutbacks the Australian Public Service (APS) and nothing to assist Canberra to optimise the opportunities to diversify its economy in the longer term. I suggested that there...

How many times have you searched for something online? How did you feel when you found what you were looking for, but couldn't read the details as the site appeared too small to read from? According to the statistics, around 94% of smartphone users have searched for a product or service on their phones and nearly 60% access internet via...

Canberra is a pretty stress free city - but workplaces can sometimes contribute our stress levels and our productivity. Stress in the workplace is a growing concern for both employees and business owners. Synergy research has identified the key causes of stress and how to deal with them. If we can manage stress better, we can all become far more...

A downstream risk is defined as a risk that eventuates when new treatments or controls are introduced. When developing risk treatments for an identified risk, it is important to take the time to consider what these downstream risks might be and the damage they can cause. Of course, there will be flow on risks no matter what treatments we put...

A candidate rich market can complicate the recruitment process and quantity does not align with quality! Be it internal or external, it's both time-consuming and costly to recruit. To manage this in a candidate rich market increases the difficulty - not only to secure that perfect candidate, but managing the process to get there! What to bear in mind in...

The day has finally come. The All Lawn Tennis Club has a local Wimbledon champion since the great Fred Perry lifted the crown in 1934. Andy Murray has given the British crowd what they wanted and since then has inspired many juniors to get on the court and take up the game of tennis. Australians love watching sport. We don't...

Have a look around your workplace, at those people you depend upon each day to make a meaningful contribution to your business. How many of them are in relationships, married or de facto? Look a little more closely - how many of them are happy in those relationships? Don't know? Not your business? Perhaps you should - between 30 and...

A case last month (Brennan v Mansfield & Ors SASC 83) was one of the first cases of a will for a person in a same sex relationship. But what makes the decision more interesting is the discussion about what amounts to "adequate provision". Where a will maker does not make "adequate provision" in a will for their partner,...

Businesses often see their branding misappropriated. However, the range of intellectual property and allied rights which can attach to branding means care must be taken in developing a suitable strategy before taking action. Branding registered as a trade mark If the branding in question has been registered as a trade mark, then the simplest course is to consider trade mark...

The Australian Institute of Company Directors has issued a new policy priorities paper calling on the next government of Australia to take action on key issues for directors, including a new approach to regulation and better consultation with business. The paper, Governing for a More Prosperous Australia: Key Issues for Directors in the 2013 Election, calls on the Federal Government...

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In previous editions of B2B, elringtons have written about the relatively new Personal Property Security Act ("PPSA"), and its farreaching effects on businesses and commercial interests. Since the PPSA's inception in January 2012, the legal community has been waiting for a court decision to assist in interpreting its operation, especially transitional provisions and migrated security interests. The NSW Supreme Court...

On 16 July the Federal Government announced major changes to the Fringe Benefits Tax ("FBT") legislation in relation to car fringe benefits. The change is estimated to save the Government approximately $1.8 billion in the forward estimates. According to Treasurer Chris Bowen, the Government intends to remove the statutory formula method for both salary sacrificed and employer provided cars. The...