Sam McKeith – 15/05/2024 Key players in the Australian conveyancing sector have cautiously welcomed the federal government’s 2024/25 budget, backing extra investment in housing while flagging a lack of new support for homebuyers trying to get into the property market.  Tuesday’s budget, which booked a surplus of $9.3 billion for the fiscal year to June 2024, commits $7.8bn for cost-of-living relief as well as more funds available for building houses, roads and other infrastructure, which the government says will not stoke inflation.   Matt Dunn, Queensland Law Society CEO, said ..read more

Jen Nelson – 11/04/2024 My name is Jen Nelson and I am the owner and founder of Nelson Property Transfer Services. We are one of the many agents that you can utilise through InfoTrack’s SettleIT platform. SettleIT is a fixed-fee electronic settlement and lodgment service, which allows lawyers and conveyancers to outsource the administrative aspects of conveyancing. In a sale or purchase matter, once a Contract is signed and unconditional, that is when SettleIT comes in. We do it all from thereon, allowing you to focus on Contract advice and spending more time with your clients to grow your bus ..read more

Melissa Barlas – 15/12/2023 We rejoice as the government proposes a bill to make a number of unfair terms unenforceable in contracts of sale. It’s a great win, to some extent, for buyers and a good shake up for practitioners that love to bastardise contracts with grossly unfair and risky terms for buyers that leave many of us fair-minded practitioners speechless. On 3 October 2023 the State Taxation Acts and Other Acts Amendment Bill 2023 (the Bill) was introduced into the Victorian Parliament which, if passed, will result in significant changes to Victorian tax laws in the area ..read more

Herisha Wijesurendrage,15/12/2023 “Don’t find customers for your product, find products for your customer,” Seth Godin  Whether you’re a small business owner or have years of experience it can sometimes feel like you’re juggling multiple roles all at once, from administrative duties to accounting tasks, adding marketing into your day-to-day tasks can be seem overwhelming, you may even feel like outsourcing to marketing companies.  However, the truth is marketing your business doesn’t have to break the bank.  You know your skills and experience more than anyone else so use that t ..read more

New Privacy Obligations are Coming – What You Need to Know The Australian Government released its full response to the Privacy Act Review Report late last month. The government’s position outlines significant changes, that if implemented, will impact small businesses across the nation. As most conveyancers are not currently subject to the Privacy Act, understanding and preparing for these changes is going to be crucial. Here’s a breakdown of the key points: End of Small Business Exemption The biggest challenge facing small businesses is the government’s intention to remove the small business e ..read more

The conveyancing industry has embraced technology on an unprecedented scale in the last five years, entering a new era of modern conveyancing. Besides commonly used technologies like Office 365, practice management systems and Search Platforms, the sector is now exploring advanced options such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and the Internet of Things (IoT). AI and ML have emerged as game-changers for businesses worldwide, including conveyancing. They offer transformative capabilities that can revolutionise operations and decision-making. AI is used in chatbots, recomm ..read more

We all know how hard it is to make a real impression on our clients when they settle on a property – we’ve all tried gifting merchandise, hampers and champagne. The trouble is that in amongst all the activity and excitement these things easily get forgotten. SERV have just developed a product that could really delight your clients and leave a lasting impression. It’s the Victorian Commemorative Title (VCT) Certificate, an authentic replica of an old school title certificate that can be hung with pride – an enduring reminder of your business and the support you provided.  It’s a tangible a ..read more

The Optus data breach is possibly the worst data breach in Australia’s history, so as a cyber security specialist, it is of great interest to me, but I also have a personal interest.  I am a former Optus customer whose personal data has been exposed. There has been an abundance of information in the media about the Optus data breach, but unfortunately, it includes a lot of confusing and misleading advice for people who are the victims of this data breach.  I want to provide some clarity around the situation, along with some clear advice on what actions you should consider taking. Thi ..read more

We are often told by our members of their frustrations and pain points when a client asks for their settlement funds to be sent to an overseas bank account. Up until last year, this couldn’t be done via PEXA, and would typically mean having to sometimes spend up to a couple of hours travelling to your bank and waiting to arrange for the transfer to be completed in person.  Enter AIC VIC’s international TT partner Send Payments, where foreign account numbers, SWIFT Codes, IBANs, Routing Numbers, and Sort Codes don’t need to be confusing anymore — all thanks to their partnership with PEXA ..read more

AIC VIC Members’ Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements.  The AIC VIC CPD program enables a professional conveyancer to undertake continuous education to keep up to date with changes in legislation and procedure.   It is a compulsory requirement AIC VIC licensee members to complete 10 CPD points each year. Legal Practitioners must complete CPD every year and AIC VIC is of the view that it is essential for licensed conveyancers to do the same.  The AIC VIC CPD program provides a wide range of options with training in various areas of substantive law and profession ..read more