Being asked to act as an executor is usually taken as an honour. It is also one of the hardest jobs anyone can accept: you are being asked to grieve for someone and administer their affairs at the same time. What most people do not realise when they accept the role is...
On 26 August 2024, changes to the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) (the Act) took effect, granting employees the right to, ‘refuse contact or attempted contact from their employer outside the employee’s working hours’. This change is part of a global shift in workplace...
In many Australian businesses (especially family businesses) the same people are both shareholders and directors. This can result in the erroneous assumption that if you own the business, surely you should be the one making the decisions. However, the law draws a...
Buying property with family or friends is becoming increasingly common in today’s market. It’s an exciting achievement, but without the right legal framework co-owning property can lead to conflict, financial stress, and damaged relationships. You shouldn’t have to...
If you’re running a family business or managing family wealth through a trust, chances are your accountant has recommended that you “make a Family Trust Election” (or FTE for short). If your response was, “Sure… what exactly is that?”, you’re not alone. ...
We’re hearing this question from many of our clients since the Federal Budget announcement on 12 May 2026 introduced proposed changes to how family trusts (also called discretionary trusts) are taxed. Small to medium-sized businesses, family business owners and...
If you have read our overview of the new AML/CTF rules starting 1 July 2026, you will know the reforms put significant new compliance obligations on firms like ours. This piece is about how we have chosen to meet them, and why we made the build decisions we did....
If you have engaged a lawyer, accountant, conveyancer or real estate agent recently, you may already have been asked for more identification than usual. From 1 July 2026, those asks become standard practice across the profession. Your advisers will need to verify who...
If you’ve loaned money to a child, a family trust, or to entities within your personal investment or business structure, you might assume those debts will be honoured, or at least recognised, when you pass away. However, unless steps are taken to formally record...
It all starts with a notice from the ATO You are busy running your business, juggling the day-to-day and keeping busy with customers, employees and back-end work. Out of the blue, you receive a letter from the ATO telling you that an audit of your company and...
Moving overseas is exciting, but it can also raise important legal and financial questions. We are seeing an increasing number of people leaving Australia to set up business overseas and take advantage of the potential tax benefits that a low-tax jurisdiction brings....
I don’t normally write about Budgets. That is partly because I ceased to understand how the “Economy” was supposed to work shortly after finishing my Economics/Commerce degree about 30 years ago. But what I do understand is the structures that Australian families and...
If you’ve been left out of a Will or believe the provision made for you is inadequate, you may be wondering whether you can apply for a greater share of the estate. You may also be worried about what it could cost you to make a claim. Under South Australia’s...
Below is part 4 of our governance guide for family businesses. To read the other parts of this series, click the links below: Part 1: Why governance matters Part 2: Members and owners Part 3: Directors and the board The board sets strategy, members provide...
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