Skip to content
Back to Blog
calendar    Feb 22, 2019

The Weekly News Roundup - 18th February 2019

The international media headlines of the week that impact how the law relates to society.

MONDAY 18TH 

Government cannot fund new coal plants without parliamentary approval, advice says

"A new legal opinion suggests the Morrison government will not have the ability to roll out taxpayer support to its controversial plan to underwrite new coal plants unless it enacts supporting legislation or amends existing legislation."

What Australian couples can learn from Amazon's Jeff Bezos divorce

MacKenzie Bezos, the soon to be former partner of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is about to become one of the richest women in the world due to the 50-50 split of their divorce. 

In an Australian first, the ACT may legally recognise animals' feelings

The ACT is proposing to follow the likes New Zealand and Canada, by amending animal welfare legislation to include not only the physical, but also the mental welfare of animals. 

TUESDAY 19TH

What Are Your Rights When Someone Invades Your Home?

This video explains the legal rights a home owner has if someone invades their home. 

Top spy boss criticises the Australian for misrepresenting Asio advice

"The head of Australia’s spy agency has issued an extraordinary rebuke for the leak of departmental advice on the medevac bill to the Australian newspaper and misrepresentation of the advice as from Asio."

Worker allegedly threatened with sack after asking to attend funeral

The Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) is taking a Victorian building company to court, after refusing a worker's request to attend the funeral of his father-in-law and then pulling his weekend shift, resulting in a loss of $6720.

Judge blasted for jailing father for 12 months in family law dispute

Judge Salvatore Vasta jailed a father for a mximum of 12 months for contempt of court. The father had failed to provide his financial records. The former partner of the man supported his appeal, telling the judge that she doesn't want him to go to jail when they have children to think about. Neither party had legal representation for their property dispute. 

WEDNESDAY 20TH 

Legal cost help for small business to take on big firms

"New legislation, passed by Federal Parliament, means small business owners can make a request to court - early in a court challenge - to avoid paying the legal costs of their much larger competitors if they lose court action against them."

Mexico border wall: US states sue over emergency declaration

"A coalition of 16 US states led by California is suing President Donald Trump's administration over his decision to declare an emergency to raise funds for a Mexican border wall."

Newcastle author weighs up legal action over new movie plot

Newcastle independent writer Nick Milligan is considering his legal options as the storyline of his novel 'Enormity' is incredibly similar to the new film 'Yesterday'. 

THURSDAY 21ST

Family court backlogs creating legal limbo

"Thousands of Australian families have been waiting more than a year to have their disputes heard in court. Notorious backlogs in the Family and Federal Circuit courts have reduced slightly in the past 12 months. But more than half of the 3000 pending matters before the Family Court are more than one year old, along with one-third of 17,000 family law matters before the Federal Circuit Court."

Class action filed against Westpac could affect thousands of Australian home loans

"One of Australia's biggest banks, Westpac, has been hit with a class action on behalf of borrowers and could be facing tens of millions of dollars in compensation claims."

‘Catastrophic’ court merger must be rejected

The Law Council of Australia has opposed the Senate's proposal to merge the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court, believing that this is the wrong move for the much-needed restructure. 

Teen in Lincoln Memorial protest sues Washington Post for $250 million

"A high school student from Covington, Kentucky, sued the Washington Post for defamation on Tuesday, claiming the newspaper falsely accused him of racist acts and instigating a confrontation with a Native American activist in a January videotaped incident at the Lincoln Memorial."

FRIDAY 22ND

Real identity of Informer 3838 set to be revealed

"The real identity of the gangland lawyer turned Informer 3838 is likely to be revealed on March 1, following a watershed court decision." 

Michael Jackson Estate Sues HBO Over 'Leaving Neverland' Documentary

"The Michael Jackson Estate is hardly letting go of Leaving Neverland, the documentary about the late pop star's alleged sexual abuse that is set to air next month on HBO. On Thursday, Optimum Productions and the two co-executors of the Jackson estate sued HBO and parent company Time Warner claiming the documentary constitutes a breach of a non-disparagement clause in an old contract." 

Government claims new legal advice shows loophole in medical transfer legislation

"Attorney-General Christian Porter says new legal advice reveals flaws in the so-called medevac legislation, which could remove the Government's authority to return asylum seekers to Manus Island and Nauru."

Business Image

Subscribe to our newsletter

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Semper neque vestibulum at maecenas. Ut sociis dignissim.

Latest Articles

Thursday Thoughts for SMEs – When buying a business, beware of the contracts.

Thursday Thoughts for SMEs – When buying a business, beware of the contracts.

Thursday Thoughts for SMEs – When buying a business, beware of the contracts.

Thursday Thoughts for SMEs: Want to sell well? You should have started 2 years ago.

Thursday Thoughts for SMEs: Want to sell well? You should have started 2 years ago.

Thursday Thoughts for SMEs: Want to sell well? You should have started 2 years ago. Why it is important to prepare a business exit.

Thursday Thoughts for SMEs: You want to sell well, then buy first.

Thursday Thoughts for SMEs: You want to sell well, then buy first.

Thursday Thoughts for SMEs, Why you should buy first if you want to sell well.