Insights Categories: Corporate & Commercial

The most common question we are asked by pharmacists looking to sell or buy a pharmacy is, ‘at what stage should we involve our lawyer?’ Our answer is very often, ‘seek legal advice before you sign documents related to the transaction’, such as heads of terms or sales notices. The wording contained in heads of […]

The Health Insurance Act 1973 and the Health Insurance Regulations 2018 (Regulations) permit eligible midwives and eligible nurse practitioners to provide some services that are funded through the Medicare Benefits Schedule and prescribe certain medications subsidised under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme provided they meet the relevant skills and qualifications criteria. In order to provide these […]

Meridian is increasingly receiving enquiries from both health practitioners and service providers seeking advice regarding negative reviews placed online by members of the public. Sometimes the reviews are thought to be unfair and unreasonable, and sometimes they cross over the line and are abusive and defamatory. With the ever increasing reliance on digital marketing and […]

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) introduced the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme in February 2018 (the Scheme). The Scheme serves the dual purpose of enhancing accountability of entities engaging with personal and sensitive information, and arming affected individuals with the necessary information to lessen the severity of a data breach. The Scheme has […]

The Treasury Laws Amendment (enhancing Tax Integrity and Supporting Business Investment) Bill 2022 has been introduced into Federal Parliament and, if passed, is designed to strengthen and expand the operation of the unfair contract term regime within the Australian Consumer Law. The Bill follows a review which found that the current regime was ineffective in […]

As a result of the Competition & Consumer (Industry Codes-Franchising) Amendment (Franchise Disclosure Register) Regulations 2022, which commenced on 1 April 2022, by 14 November 2022 franchisors will be required to publish a franchise profile and publish on the online Franchise Disclosure Register, important information about its franchise. This is a mandatory requirement and failure […]

While 84% of Australians consider privacy to be important when they are choosing a website or digital service, only 20% read privacy policies and are confident they understand them.[1] This highlights the trust Australians place in service providers – trusting that their personal information will be handled with integrity and care. This year’s Privacy Awareness […]

The Australian Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner, Angelene Falk, recently determined that 7-Eleven interfered with up to 1.6 million customers’ privacy by collecting sensitive biometric information, via in-store customer satisfaction surveys, that was not reasonably necessary for its functions and without adequate notice or consent. This determination is a timely reminder to businesses to collect […]

From 1 November 2021, all directors of Australian registered bodies corporate are required to apply for a director identification number (DIN). The DIN regime, administered by the Australian Business Registry Services (ABRS) and managed by the Australian Taxation Office, has been introduced in order to prevent illegal phoenix activity, track directors’ involvement across different companies […]

Vaccinated Australians will have, by now, accessed their COVID-19 vaccination certificate, a token of our roadmap out of lockdown. However, the token comes with personal and, in some formats, sensitive information. For example, the: COVID-19 digital certificate which can be saved to a smart phone reveals date of birth; the International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate that […]

Approved providers and nominated supervisors will be aware that as part of ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of children, a medical conditions policy must be in place which complies with Regulation 90 of the Education and Care National Regulations (National Regulations). This means that the medical conditions policy must set out the practices of […]