MST Lawyers

14/10/2026

Victoria’s workplace NDA restrictions: what employers need to change in settlement processes and templates - Estimated reading time: 7 minutes From 1 July 2026, Victorian employers can no longer treat confidentiality as a standard term when settling workplace sexual harassment complaints. The Restricting Non-disclosure Agreements (Sexual Harassment at Work) Act 2025 (Vic) significantly limits when a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) can prevent a complainant from speaking about workplace sexual harassment. For ... Read more

Victoria’s workplace NDA rules have changed. Learn what employers should update in sexual harassment settlement processes and templates.

13/10/2026

Stay Ahead of Risk: Your Legal Healthcheck for Business Owners - As we approach the end of the year, it’s the perfect time for business owners to take stock and do a legal healthcheck. Legal risks don’t always arrive with a warning – they tend to build quietly in the background through outdated contracts, compliance oversights, or forgotten renewal dates. At MST Lawyers, we’ve seen how ... Read more

Business owners, ensure your legal health this financial year. Discover how a legal healthcheck can safeguard your business risks.

13/10/2026

Could your business thrive without you at the centre? - On 1 October, MST Lawyers hosted Business Benchmark Group (BBG) for a boardroom breakfast with clients, exploring a question many business owners face: how do you build a successful business that does not depend on you for every decision? Led by BBG’s Stefan Kazakis, with Phil Smith, the discussion covered practical ways to develop capable ... Read more

On 1 October, MST Lawyers hosted Business Benchmark Group (BBG) for a boardroom breakfast with clients, exploring a question many business owners face: how do

12/10/2026

MST Lawyers featured in Business Franchise Australia & New Zealand - Last month, Business Franchise Australia & New Zealand featured MST Lawyers in an article on a trend we see regularly: as franchise businesses grow, their legal needs grow with them. Franchising rarely sits in one area of law. Growth brings franchise agreements, leasing, employment, commercial arrangements, intellectual property, compliance and disputes together — often all ... Read more

MST Lawyers discusses supporting franchise businesses through every stage of growth in Business Franchise Australia & NZ.

12/10/2026

The general protections gateway is wide open and nobody is better off for it - This opinion article is written by Chao Ni, Workplace Relations Principal at MST Lawyers. One complaint is all it takes to trigger a general protections claim. A single complaint sent before termination is enough to put an employer on a two-year litigation footing. That is not a criticism of employees who raise genuine concerns. It ... Read more

One complaint can trigger a two-year Fair Work claim with no merit filter. MST Lawyers’ Chao Ni on why the general protections claims gateway needs reform.

08/10/2026

Unpaid invoices in Victoria: When to send a letter of demand and what happens next - Late payment is one of the quickest ways for a profitable business to run out of cash. You have done the work, issued the invoice and passed the due date but the money is not in your account and the polite follow-ups have stopped working. At that point most Victorian business owners reach for a ... Read more

Chasing an unpaid invoice in Victoria? Learn when to send a letter of demand, what to include, and what steps to take if the debtor doesn't pay.

07/10/2026

Automated decision-making: does your privacy policy need updating? - By Louise Wolf, Principal, MST Lawyers Estimated reading time: 8 minutes Does your business use software to screen job applicants, assess customer credit, approve applications or suspend accounts? From 10 December 2026, privacy policies must tell people when a computer program is used to make, or substantially help make, decisions that could significantly affect them. ... Read more

Does your business use software to screen job applicants, assess customer credit, approve applications or suspend accounts? From 10 December 2026, privacy

08/07/2026

Join five MST Lawyers principals for a on the Australian businesses can't afford to ignore in 2026 - where things quietly go wrong, and what businesses and their advisers should be reviewing before small issues become harder to manage.

Your business may look healthy, until someone looks closely. A due diligence review, a regulator or a dispute can quickly reveal issues that have been sitting quietly for years.

This is not a legal update. It is a practical, plain English session for businesses and the advisers who support them.

FREE online webinar for businesses
Thursday 6 August | 1.15 pm AEST on Zoom
Register by clicking the event link below. 👇

https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/the-legal-issues-australian-businesses-cant-afford-to-ignore-in-2026-tickets-1991954501536

Can’t make it live? Register anyway and we’ll send you the recording.

22/06/2026

EOFY is 8 days away - and if you're going through a separation, that clock matters more than most people realise.

The timing of asset transfers, property arrangements, and trust distributions around 30 June can affect your tax position for the entire financial year. And with the Federal Budget's proposed changes to CGT, negative gearing, and discretionary trusts now in play, the decisions made during settlement today will have consequences for years to come.

Our Family Law Principal Carmel Bianchi Morrison has written a plain-English breakdown of what separating couples need to know before 30 June - including how the proposed 2027 CGT changes could affect deferred tax liabilities inherited through settlements.

📖 Here is the link
https://www.mst.com.au/blog/separation-and-tax-at-eofy/

11/06/2026

We asked Jack McClane, National Franchise Manager at Floor Stores, what a successful franchise network needs to keep building for the future:

"Markets and customer expectations continue to change, so networks that adapt, share knowledge and support continuous improvement are best positioned for long-term success."

It's a fitting note to end this week on - strong franchise systems never stand still.

Thank you to Jack and the Floor Stores team, and to everyone who shared their thoughts with us this week.
Happy World Franchise Day Week! 🎉