Szabo & Associates News & Updates

In New South Wales, several infrastructure projects are either planned or underway. Many of these will require the acquisition of properties. For example, in October 2019 the NSW State Government announced the construction of the Sydney Metro West project to commence in 2020. This new link will connect the Sydney CBD to Greater Paramatta, incorporating seven new metro stations along the way. The implications of this are that the State government will acquire some 93 businesses and 23 residential properties.

Taking out a lease on business premises will be one of the most significant decisions that a business needs to take. As such, it is important to understand what is being taken on and properly investigate the property and lease documents before committing.

What can be done if you are concerned about how one of the proposed beneficiaries of your will cope with an inheritance? This could include individuals with addiction or money problems, or a child with special needs.

When a person makes a Will, or changes an existing one, they have to understand what they are doing for it to be valid. This is the essence of testamentary capacity. For a century and a half, the benchmark test for having the mental capacity to make a valid Will, in common law jurisdictions such as NSW, has been based on the nineteenth-century English case Banks v Goodfellow (1870). Banks concerned an individual who suffered delusions but whose Will was held to be valid because the delusions did not interfere with his ability to comprehend what he was doing when he made his Will.

The National Energy Retail Law (NERL) regulates the sale of gas and electricity, though with variations in different States. A landlord, on-selling power to tenants, have to hold either an authorisation or an exemption under the NERL. These are not necessarily automatic.