Expert Advice

There is no doubt that good businesses have been hit hard in 2020 but once this recession is behind them they will likely emerge leaner and ready for a new business cycle. But what about the businesses that were battling before COVID-19? RSM Canberra Partner Jonathon Colbran says there are many companies operating today that were sick before COVID-19 and...

Navigating the legal process after being injured at work, or in an accident, can be confronting, stressful and difficult. Snedden Hall & Gallop personal injury lawyer Amber Wang believes finding the right help with your personal injury claim is essential. Amber is not only a highly experienced personal injury lawyer whose legal practice keeps her busy, but she is also...

Chris Oates first started in the finance industry as a client service officer in a financial planning firm. Although he grew up on a farm in Orange, and had the option of becoming a farmer, the world of numbers took him down the financial path. He has never looked back, but still enjoys returning to the family farm when he...

It's July, time to drag out those boxes of receipts and prepare to lodge your tax return. Whether you do it yourself or use an agent, there are a few things that will make tax time a little different for many people this year, and some things you may need to be extra careful about claiming. For a start, employers...

Kris Milne served in the Australian Army for 14 years. Despite the toughness and fortitude required to go on deployment to places such as East Timor, the most difficult thing he’s done is leave the army and adjust to life in a civilian job. He knew the minute he left the army he would lose his security clearance and have...

The amount of superannuation you have accumulated by the time you retire can make a big difference to the type of retirement you can enjoy. With some superannuation schemes being more beneficial than others, imagine if you had been denied entry to join one of Australia’s most lucrative superannuation schemes provided to government workers. That is the reality for many...

If you have ever worked as a labour-hire contractor, or applied for a contract which needs a Baseline, NV1 or NV2 Department of Defence clearance in Canberra, you will know that not having a security clearance is one of the major barriers to success. The requirement for a security clearance has been tied to a candidate occupying a position and...

Lawyers have been urged to be cautious when using a new temporary law that allows the remote or virtual witnessing of legal documents such as wills and power of attorney in the current pandemic environment. The new law makes it more convenient to progress legal matters when clients are averse to face-to-face meetings due to fears of contracting COVID-19 but...

A groundbreaking decision by the Full Bench of the Federal Court is likely to have significant implications for any employers who engage casuals on a regular and systemic basis. The decision was handed down on 20 May and considered the issue of whether a long-term casual employee could be entitled to paid leave entitlements available to full-time and permanent part-time...

Governments have recently moved to clarify procedures for negotiating residential and commercial tenancies during the COVID-19 shutdown, but property managers and lawyers say there are still problems for all parties. The ACT Government, for example, recently released new information to clarify changes to residential tenancies disrupted by the COVID-19 lockdown. The changes include encouraging landlords to reduce rent by providing...

Vulnerable Canberrans with unfinished legal or financial business who are now finding themselves unable to leave home due to COVID-19 do not need to hit the pause button. There is help at hand says Julia Bridgewater, the new head of the wills and estates team at Snedden Hall & Gallop. "There are many people who have been caught mid-transaction by...

In the current world where social distancing is mandatory and open houses and auctions are no longer allowed, many real estate agents are struggling to find new ways to do business and avoid a downturn in the property industry. But some agents, such as Jonny Warren, Fiona Murray and Tom Osborne at Independent Inner North & City, have long been...

It isn't only kids who engage in bullying and exclusion – it is also a real and significant issue in workplaces. So significant that since 2014, employees have been able to make an application to the Fair Work Commission to have bullying complaints heard. However, taking legal action is often a distressing and sometimes unaffordable option. Therefore it makes sense...

It's said that one-third of small-to-medium-sized businesses fail in their first year of operation and half fail in their second year. So when Canberra business face2face Recruitment turned 15 this year, owner Kate Prior and her 24 staff popped the cork on the champagne. Kate knew she was daring when she opened the business. It meant she had to quit...

Canberra lawyers are urging young people to consider making a will to avoid putting their family under added stress in the event of an unexpected death. Meyer Vandenberg Associate Lawyer Eleanor Heffernan says most people understandably do not want to think about death or wills, so they delay making a will until they buy property or have children, but Ms...

If the days of a straight career path, moving from school to uni to work, seem long gone, RSM's Thomas Skeffington's career path is best described as full circle. Growing up in a country town, Thomas went to university in the city and travelled the world but then returned to university and ended up back where he came from. And...