GL Insights
New Procurement Rules for the Commonwealth
New Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPR) were released by the Department of Finance on 20 April 2019. These new CPRs apply for any new procurement from their commencement date. The CPRs are a set of rules for most Commonwealth procurements. The changes, in essence, are made to accommodate the Government Procurement (Judicial Review) Act 2018 (Cth), international …
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Through to the keeper: Do you know your sporting organisation’s privacy obligations?
Despite being 30 years old, organisations can still be confused about their obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act). Whether the Privacy Act even applies can be a minefield for sporting organisations such as sporting clubs, gyms, and governing bodies. Unfortunately, ignorance of the law excuses no one, and fines for a breach of the …
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Employers Obligations and Job Applicants
Metro North Hospital and Health Service has been ordered to pay former Queensland Assistant Health Minister Dr Christopher Davis, $1.45 million for a contravention of the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld). In August 2014, Dr Davis applied for the position of Senior Medical Officer at the Hospital. Another applicant was advised that he was unsuccessful for …
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Reinstatement Orders After Dismissal
The Fair Work Commission has ordered the reinstatement of a teacher terminated by her employer, after the teacher gave a child with allergies a chocolate. A student at the Hills Christian Community School was known to suffer from a number of allergies. The teacher provided the student with a chocolate treat. The school maintained that …
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Tips for Buying Off-the-Plan Property
Problems with property development have been a hot topic the last six months, and an issue we do not expect will go away anytime soon. Unfortunately, often enough we are asked to assist clients who have purchased off the plan or who represent body corporates in dealing with defects. Here are some practical tips for …
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Culture and Corporate Governance
It would be remiss of us to not mention the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry, which has consumed much of media and news reports recently. Culture was the predominant theme of the Commission, and indeed its finding. Corporate culture, however, is probably the theme of the decade. An …
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ACTPLA loses bid to revoke development approval
The ACT Planning and Land Authority has lost a case in the ACT Supreme Court where the Applicant, Capital Recycling Solutions, sought an order that a decision to revoke planning approval was void ab initio – or for most of us that aren’t familiar with Latin – had at no time legal validity. This is …
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ACNC Governance Standard 4 – Suitability of Responsible Persons
A “Responsible Person” is a person that is responsible for governing a charity, for example a member of the board or committee or trustee of a charity. The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) has high expectations on Responsible Persons and ACNC Governance Standard 4 is premised on the expectation that Responsible Persons governing a charity are …
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Sport Integrity Australia – A New and Unified Approach to Tackling Threats to Australian Sport
The Federal Government has recently established a national sports integrity commission to act as a single platform for coordinating Australia’s response to sport integrity threats across all jurisdictions. Doping, match-fixing and corruption will be targeted by the soon-to-be-formed Sport Integrity Australia. The commissions will also provide policy and program support to smaller and emerging sports. …
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Safer Internet Day 2019
Griffin Legal is a proud supporter of Safe Internet Day. From cyberbullying to social networking, each year Safer Internet Day aims to raise awareness of emerging online issues and chooses a topic reflecting current concerns. This year the focus is raising awareness to help ensure that our children and young people can explore the internet …
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