Legal news
This is our third article on the draft legislation for the new Div 296. Our first article examined the core legislation; while our second article examined the transitional rules. This article will examine how Div 296 will operate for indirect assets – for example where an SMSF holds assets via a unit trust or a company.
This is our second article on the draft legislation for the new Div 296. Our first article examined the core legislation. This article will examine the transitional rules including the CGT adjustment and two rules that just apply for the 2026/27 year.
Treasury released its draft legislation on 19 December 2025 for the new Div 296 and at the time of writing this article the draft legislation was open for consultation (closing 16 January 2026).
Well drafted warranties offer purchasers protection by providing an avenue to seek recovery in the event that what is acquired turns out to be different than what it was represented to be by the seller.
This article looks at a case involving a share sale agreement and the outcome achieved when action was taken against the seller due to a breach of warranties offered in the share sale agreement to the purchaser.
Over the past three years, the Australian Government has placed increasing significance on developing anti-corruption laws at both the domestic and international level. This article provides an overview of some of the legislation which govern this area in Australia, how corporations can be found liable and how to access guides to manage compliance.
The interests of a secured party are not unfailing, and appropriate attention should be given to ensuring that they are placed to receive the best outcome from administration. The extent of this susceptibility was highlighted in the recent Federal Court decision of Jones (Admin) v Realtek Semiconductor Corp Nuheara Ltd (Admins Apptd) (No 1) [2025].
Where an arrangement undermines the entitlements of a secured creditor, consideration should be had to the benefits conferred by the arrangement on other creditors broadly, particularly where the alternative is liquidation.
The NSW Court of Appeal has affirmed on-demand loan repayments to shadow directors were reasonable where the company was solvent and the payments caused no detriment and as such do not constitute a breach of the unreasonable director related transaction provisions in section 588FDA of the Corporations Act.
The Victorian State Revenue Office has issued a draft revenue ruling “Land transfer duty - Consideration - Assumption of tax liabilities” for comment that seeks to impose a new stamp duty on adjustments at settlement of property transfers. This is an Australian first tax and will penalise commercial and other property transfers.
The Victorian Supreme Court in Alphington Developments Pty Ltd v Commissioner of State Revenue [2025] VSC 709 considered the dutiable value for a transfer of land under paragraph 20(1)(a) of the Duties Act 2000 (Vic) and whether payments required to be made by the vendor under a contract were able to reduce the headline purchase price for stamp duty purposes.
The Full Court of the Federal Court’s decision in Bakers Delight Holdings Ltd v Fair Work Ombudsman [2025] FCAFC 144 provides insight into the interaction between franchisor liability and ‘reverse onus’ mechanisms in the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).
Specifically, the Federal Court confirmed that franchisors can be held legally responsible for workplace contraventions by franchisees, even where the case against the franchisee relies on a ‘reverse onus of proof’. Franchisors are recommended to implement proactive compliance systems across their networks to avoid liability.
