DP O’Keefe Macquarie Law is a legal office in Dubbo NSW Australia.
Dan O’Keefe is an experienced solicitor, accredited business law specialist, mediator and notary public.
Providing practical, cost-effective & confidential advice.
Come to us for a high level of service in a friendly & personal manner.
Law full news items
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Family law - the collision of emotions and commercial reality
An interesting paper on family law property settlement was presented recently by Rishi Wijay for the Tax Institute. The paper was prepared for accountants and provides a useful summary of the family law about property in Australia (although there are some differences in family law in WA). Some of the interesting observations include:-
"One of the odd things about property settlement is that soon after a separation, when emotions are still raw, parties are expected to act in a commercially sensible way regarding the division of their assets."
"Part of our joint role as advisors to separating clients is to help them (respectfully and gently) move past their initial emotional reactions, and to come to terms with some of the unavoidable truths of property settlement. Here are my top four:
- You will not be in the same financial position before and after your divorce.
- No one can give you 100% certainty about how much you will receive in your property settlement.
- While everyone wants to finalise their property settlement immediately, delay is inevitable if parties require the Family Court to decide their case.
- Litigating all the way to final trial is a lengthy and costly process. Pursuing the "principle" must always be weighed against the costs of litigation."
Agricultural lending data for 2016-17 and other interesting reading
The Agricultural Lending Data 2016-17 report has been released on the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources website. The data collection for the report was undertaken by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) and includes the generally good 2016 year. The forward to the report says:-
"The Agricultural Lending Data 2016–17 report provides proof of the strength of Australian agriculture and the robustness of lending to the sector. In 2016–17 banks had more than $70 billion in lending with the agriculture sector—a strong indicator the finance industry is viewing farming as a long-term profitable investment. During this same period, agricultural production exceeded $60 billion for the first time and farm exports hit $49 billion. Agriculture is in a strong position, but its ongoing success and global competitiveness is contingent on access to capital—from both traditional and non-traditional sources. For its part, the Australian Government supports the use of both sources of capital."
(Agricultural Lending Data 2016-17)
(See also The Current Rural Environment report by Queensland Rural and Industry Development Authority)
Teacher awarded six-figure payout after being bullied by school principal
(See Sydney Morning Herald article by Pallavi Singhal 20 September 2017)
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