Big Law

On 20 October 2015 the Queensland Court of Appeal, in the case of Commissioner of State Revenue v Di Sipio & Anor [2015] QCA 198, held that a couple purchasing their first home had not disposed of the land merely because it was purchased subject to a pre-existing lease which had longer than six monthsRead More »Purchasing land with a pre-existing lease: Reversal of Commissioner of State Revenue v Di Sipio & Anor [2015] QCA 198.

On 23 August 2011 a fire erupted at a house in Slacks Creek Queensland. Twenty-three calls were made to the emergency services, but by the time the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service arrived the house was fully engulfed. The Fire claimed the lives of eleven people, including eight children under the age of eighteen, makingRead More »New editions of the two standard Residential Contracts: Are you up to Speed with Smoke Alarms?

Since writing and publishing the article Rates Ruling Could Have Major Effect, some important changes have taken effect. Readers may recall that the article dealt with the decision in Paton & Ors v Mackay Regional Council, where it was decided that classifying a property by whether the owner-occupied the premises, or rented the premises out,Read More »Rates Ruling Update

A recent ruling by the Supreme Court could impact up to 20 regional council budgets, and impact $300 million in rates across Queensland. The case in point, Paton & Ors v Mackay Regional Council, concerned the issue of limits on a Council’s ability to charge different general rates for non-owner occupied homes. The applicants inRead More »Rates Ruling Could Have Major Effect