Marelda Hibberd

This is the first case dealing with the protection of potentially self-incriminating voluntary environmental audits from production to the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and other regulators. The Land and Environment Court (LEC) confirmed that the voluntary environmental audit privilege can apply to a wide range of evaluations carried out for the purpose of ensuring compliance or improving environmental performance.

The Federal Court of Australia has dismissed an application by Salim Mehajer, the high profile former Deputy Mayor of Auburn City Council, NSW, to replace his trustee in bankruptcy.[1] The Court’s judgment furthers the authority that courts are reluctant to replace trustees absent clear evidence of maladministration. Key takeaways Courts tend not to interfere with a trustee’s discretion to exercise reasonable commercial decisions, let alone order their replacement.

Australia March 17 2020 Whilst Australia navigates the effects of COVID-19 including health authorities advising people to stay home to contain the spread of COVID-19, people are likely to consume less and spend differently. The ultimate impact on Australian businesses may be significant. Government Economic Stimulus Package The Australian Government has implemented assistance measures to support Australian businesses in managing their cash flow and employees during the COVID-19 health crisis.