Understanding development approvals - mortgagee restrained from exercising power of sale

On 20 August 2020, the Victorian premier announced that the government would extend the Commercial Tenancy Relief Scheme until 31 December 2020.

Landlords, tenants and centre managers should assess how their obligations will be affected, to revise their procedures.

The case of Rayman v Brown involved excavation works performed on Ms Brown’s property that caused significant damage to Ms Rayman’s neighbouring property due to excessive vibrations from the installation of sheet piling, a method warned against by the initial geotechnical engineer involved in the project.

Directors who sign retail leases on behalf of company tenants often provide personal guarantees without fully understanding the scope of their liability. This liability can extend far beyond unpaid rent to include outgoings, interest, make-good costs, and enforcement expenses, persisting even after resignation or business sale. Understanding the distinction between guarantees and indemnities, and knowing when statutory protections may apply, is essential for directors seeking to limit their personal exposur

Significant changes are on the horizon for NSW’s building and construction industry, reshaping prefabricated construction, building approvals, design variations and regulatory accountability.

The Building (Approvals and Practitioners) Bill 2026 represents a comprehensive overhaul of New South Wales' building approvals regime, introducing significant reforms to streamline processes and support housing targets.

Important for landlords and tenants to be aware of their rights and obligations.

The development assessment process for data centres in Australia has become a critical battleground for social licence, where community concerns about energy consumption, water usage, noise pollution, and local impact must be addressed with evidence rather than assurances. As jurisdictions across Australia move to establish enforceable regulatory frameworks, developers face an evolving landscape where early investment in genuine community engagement and rigorous impact assessment determines whether projects

The collapse of the Bathla Group has sent ripples through Australia's construction sector, raising critical questions about financial distress management in major projects. With Queensland delivering an unprecedented infrastructure pipeline amid margin pressures and market uncertainty, are project participants adequately prepared to identify and respond to insolvency warning signs before external administrators arrive?

Construction law in Queensland establishes a comprehensive framework governing building contracts, payment rights, dispute resolution, and remedies. The legislation creates rapid adjudication mechanisms and strict compliance requirements that can determine the outcome of disputes within days. Understanding how statutory rules interact with contractual terms is essential for protecting rights and avoiding costly procedural mistakes.

The Australian Government's proposed digital duty of care reforms would extend online safety obligations far beyond social media platforms to encompass any business operating websites, digital platforms, or AI-enabled tools. Rather than simply responding to complaints, businesses would need to proactively identify foreseeable risks and implement safeguards, with substantial penalties for non-compliance reaching up to $109.2 million for companies. The exposure draft introduces a fundamental shift from reacti

Australia's 2026-27 Budget introduces sweeping changes to capital gains tax, negative gearing, and discretionary trust taxation, fundamentally reshaping decades of established tax policy. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026 has now received Royal Assent, but significant controversy surrounds key provisions including the new 30% minimum tax on discretionary trusts and restrictions on corporate beneficiaries. How will these reforms affect existing trust structures, investment strategies, a

The Fair Work Commission has introduced new guidance requiring parties to disclose their use of generative AI in proceedings, following a 70% surge in workload attributed to AI-generated applications. A recent case demonstrates the consequences of blind reliance on AI tools, with one applicant ordered to pay costs after continuing a jurisdictionally flawed claim despite repeated warnings from the Commission.

The Australian Government has released exposure draft legislation for a proposed 30% minimum tax on discretionary trusts, effective from 1 July 2028. Trustees now face three strategic pathways: remain within the minimum tax regime, restructure using transitional rollover relief, or elect into the new excluded election trust (EET) regime with restricted distribution flexibility.

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner has released guidance on new automated decision-making transparency requirements under the Privacy Act, commencing 10 December. Private sector organisations using AI-enabled products, recruitment technologies, fraud detection tools, pricing algorithms and other data-driven systems must now assess whether their automated systems trigger disclosure obligations in privacy policies.

Australian government agencies face a December 2026 deadline to update their privacy policies with detailed explanations of automated decision-making systems. The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner's new guidance clarifies when computer-assisted decisions trigger disclosure obligations, how human oversight affects those requirements, and what specific information agencies must reveal about the personal data and decision types involved in their automated processes.

Victoria's new Sustainable Data Centre Action Plan introduces comprehensive planning, renewable energy, and community benefit requirements for data centre developments. The regulations establish location restrictions, noise limits, renewable energy mandates, and water supply requirements while creating new referral authorities to oversee compliance. These changes will significantly impact how developers and operators plan and execute data centre projects in Victoria's rapidly expanding market.

Recent cases demonstrate the importance of ensuring that businesses do not mislead consumers. Tips on how to comply with the ACL.

Australia's 2026-27 Federal Budget introduces sweeping tax reforms that fundamentally reshape investment planning, trust structures, and business operations. The replacement of the 50% CGT discount with indexed gains and a 30% minimum tax, restrictions on negative gearing to new builds only, and a 30% minimum tax on discretionary trusts create unprecedented challenges for property investors, professional services firms, and family businesses. Understanding how these three interconnected measures work togeth

Australia's data centre sector is attracting significant foreign investment, but the regulatory landscape is rapidly evolving. Projects now face complex requirements spanning national security reviews, critical infrastructure obligations, energy and water constraints, and social licence considerations that investors must navigate strategically.