Australian Muslims have written to tech giant Facebook, warning that one year on from the Christchurch massacre, the platform is failing to remove extreme anti-Muslim hate-speech. Facebook says it has tripled its safety and security team, and that it removes praise and support for violence. But after trying to use Facebook’s own tools to have […]
External Conduct Standards
The “External Conduct Standards” are contained in the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Amendment (2018 Measures No. 2) Regulations 2018 that were tabled in Parliament late November 2018. On 22 July 2019, the External Conduct Standards officially came into effect and became the new Division 50 of the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Regulation 2013 […]
What does it mean for a DGR or NFP entity to be ‘in Australia’?
Insight into DGR Taxation Ruling 2019/6 In December 2019 Taxation Ruling 2019/6 was finalised – which sets out the Commissioner’s view on what the phrase ‘in Australia’ means in Divisions 30 and 50 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. These divisions relate to whether certain entities are eligible to be Deductible Gift Recipients and […]
Holding police to account for abuse of power
Police brutality and excess is nothing new, and has come to the fore in the recent case in Sydney’s West. Read our article on what you can do if you are affected. Please feel free to share.
What happens if you can’t settle on a property purchase?
We received instructions from a property developer that had sold a development for approximately $13m plus on an extended settlement, at the height of Sydney’s property boom. The purchaser was unable to raise the funds to complete the purchase and our client terminated the contract. When the property was re-listed on the market, its value […]
Investment decisions by a charity
We were recently contacted by a charity that received a Notice of Intention to Revoke Charity registration from the ACNC. The issue related to an investment made by the Board, and whether it fell within the organisation’s charitable objectives. Whilst there is no issue with charities investing funds, the purpose behind the investment is meant […]
Agim Ajazi: Clarifying today’s media reports
Birchgrove Legal wishes to correct the public record regarding our client to the following effect: 1. Mr. Agazi was never held on any charges in a Turkish jail. He was detained in a detention centre. 2. Although he was in their custody for one year, Turkish authorities never sought to charge him with any allegation […]
High Court to hear case from accused Rebels bikies arguing against NSW crime prevention law
Laws aimed at keeping three accused members of the Rebels bikie gang from associating will today be challenged in the High Court, as the men argue the laws are unconstitutional because they undermine the integrity of the courts. The three men, Damien Charles Vella, Johnny Lee Vella and Michael Fetui, have taken aim at the […]
Uber driver escapes jail after passenger hit and killed by bus
An Uber driver has received a 10-month Intensive Corrections Order (ICO) after one of his passengers fell in front of a bus and died. Nazrul Islam was last year found guilty of negligent driving occasioning death after accelerating away from traffic lights in Sydney’s CBD while his passenger was halfway out the rear door. Samuel […]
‘Unprofessional and irresponsible’: UNSW student slams AFP after terror charges dropped
A Sri Lankan university student who was wrongfully detained in Goulburn’s Supermax prison over terrorism-related charges has called out Australian authorities for “immature” and “unprofessional” conduct which violated “basic and fundamental human rights”. Mohamed Kamer Nilar Nizamdeen, 25, was arrested in his University of NSW office in August, after a notebook allegedly containing terrorist ideology […]