From the Principal’s Desk – Fabbro Talks (August 2023)
Welcome to the August edition of our Newsletter and the last month of winter!
The end of July makes me think about how fast the year is going by, the pace of life is somewhat disconcerting and trying to slow it down a little seems a worthwhile pursuit as I see the years pass by. I admire those clients who have worked themselves into a position to drive north for the winter and enjoy the warmth that is on offer during the winter months down south.
Dealing with many deceased estates in our practice, the fragility of life is brought into sharp focus often. It is especially confronting when it happens to ‘young’ people similar in age to myself. It reminds you to be grateful for each day you are given and to enjoy the journey, no matter how hard it may seem from time to time.
On the legal front it has been another busy month with a number of complex matters being finalised and new instructions being received in the agriculture and construction space. There continues to be a lot of activity in the construction industry, with a lot being driven by the ever-expanding mining industry.
We have had the opportunity to advise a number of clients contracting to Companies involved in mining expansions and a new greenfield site being built in Western Australia. The significant investment in our mining sector is mind-blowing in many respects and augers well for the future of employment and our Nation generally.
Ensuring our clients’ rights and obligations are managed when involved in significant contracts where dates for practical completion are critical, is a challenging role, but helping our clients get it right and manage their risk exposure is quite rewarding work.
Having seen the appointment of an external administrator to one of the larger plastic manufacturers in South Australia has also brought home the importance of registering security interests on the Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR). One of our successful clients had injection moulding stored with the manufacturer worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, ensuring it doesn’t fall into the hands of external controllers and be lost to the client was a good outcome. Having the items registered as against the manufacturer with the PPSR was vital, ensuring this is done in the right way is often tedious work but worth the effort when the alternative is potentially losing assets for nothing!
I am looking forward to the last month of winter and the advent of spring weather soon, a good opportunity to reflect and review on areas to ‘spring clean’. Reviewing your personal affairs to ensure they are in order and reflect your current position in life is always a good idea. The things we ‘accumulate’ along life’s journey, especially financially, are always worth revisiting to ensure they are fit for our current stage of life. For me it is the plethora of personal insurance policies I have maintained for a long time, now as my children move into adulthood, the need for them all becomes less important, and with my advancing years the premiums associated with them are advancing apace as well!
My spring clean will involve a review of my current policies to ensure they remain required and ‘fit for purpose’; you can’t set and forget with these things as they can be a drain if they are not right for your current stage of life or personal situation.
If your ‘spring clean’ raises questions or concerns in areas where we may be able to assist, feel free to give us a call, as we say… we’re here to help!
For information on the range of commercial legal advice and services that we provide, head to:
Michael Fabbro
Practice Principal
Ezra Legal
