Program 
9:00am  Registrations Open
9:50am  Opening and Welcome 

10:00 - 11:00am  Session 1 - Small Deal, Big Problem? New ACCC Notification Regime in Practice. Ayman Guirguis, Partner, K&L Gates

Session Outline: In full effect from January 2026, Australia’s new mandatory merger notification regime introduces a significant shift in how acquisitions are regulated under the Competition and Consumer Act. This session will focus on the regime’s practical implications for Tasmanian property and commercial lawyers, particularly in sectors such as fitness, aged care, retail, and hospitality. The discussion will cover when notification is required, how the thresholds apply, and how transactions including property acquisitions, leases, and business sales may now attract ACCC scrutiny – including through inadvertent creeping acquisition. The session will also address expected transaction delays, available exemptions, and practical strategies for advising SME and regional clients in light of the new rules.

11:00 - 11:15am  Morning Tea

11:15 - 12:15pm  Session 2 - GST on Property Sales. David Shelley, Principal Lawyer, Page Seager
Session Outline:
- GST on residential and commercial property transactions
- Exemptions and mixed supplies
- Structuring transactions
- Recent cases and changes

12:15 - 1:00pm  Session 3 - Year Ahead, Year in Review – PCL Committee Update. Antony Logan, Principal Solicitor, Office of the Crown Solicitor and Zoey Donnellan, Senior Associate, Simmons Wolfhagen
Session Outline:
- Contract of Sale (©2026 edition)
- Common issues encountered with Contract of Sale, incl. inspection clause, subject to completion clause
- AML Regime 
- E-Conveyancing in Tasmania
  
1:00 - 1:45pm  Lunch and easyAML demonstration

1:45 – 2:45pm  Session 4 - Farm Sales under the Microscope – Instructions, Assumptions and Risk Management. Dayne Johnson, Partner, HWLE Lawyers

Session Outline: This practical, case-study-driven session examines the anatomy of a Tasmanian farm sale from initial client instructions through to settlement, with a focus on how assumptions form, how risk emerges, and where transactions most often go wrong. Using a hypothetical Tasmanian farm sale, the session explores the interaction between land, access and title issues, informal occupation and leases, water and irrigation rights, historic land use and forestry interests, plant, equipment, stock and crops, GST considerations, finance requirements, and seasonal constraints. The emphasis is on effective instruction-taking, identifying deal-critical risks, and understanding how those risks are managed in practice – including through due diligence, timing, and targeted special conditions – to reduce the likelihood of delay, dispute, or failed settlement.

2:45 - 3:45pm  Session 5 - Adverse Possession in Practice – Preparing and Running a Vesting Order Application. Clare Wootton, Senior Associate, Simmons Wolfhagen 

Session Outline: This session is intended to cover the framework of requirements for a vesting order under Division 5 of Part IXB of the Land Titles Act 1980. In particular it will provide guidance on the importance of preparation and due diligence prior to proceeding with any application, the showstoppers, aspects that can be overlooked and the costs of such applications.  It will also briefly touch on alternative options that could be explored. A short time will be provided at the end of this session for questions.

- Requirements
- Establishing your evidence
- Surveys
- Costs
- Show Stoppers
- Time Frames 

3:45 - 4:00pm  Afternoon Tea

4:00 - 5:00pm  Session 6 - When Things Get Hard: Eviction and Enforcement in Commercial Leasing and Lending. Chris Groves, Principal Lawyer, Dobson Mitchell Allport and Andrew Walker, Barrister, Derwent and Tamar Chambers

Session Outline: What happens when a commercial tenant breaches their lease and eviction is on the table – or when a landlord defaults on their mortgage and the lender steps in?  This session tackles the messy realities of default and enforcement from both directions: taking possession from tenants under a lease, and navigating the implications for landlords, lenders, and tenants when mortgagee rights are exercised. This session offers grounded, real-world insights for lawyers working across commercial leasing, secured lending, and property enforcement. In a scenario-led conversational format, the panel will explore practical questions such as:

- What notices must be served, and how?
- When is re-entry lawful, and how should security be handled?
- How do you evict tenants or initiate a power of sale?
- How does mortgage enforcement affect a tenant in occupation?
- What risks and complexities arise when premises include car yards, repair shops, or third-party goods?
- How can leases and loan facilities be structured and drafted to make enforcement easier and avoid disputes down the track?   

5:00pm  Closing Remarks and Networking - Final remarks by the Chair followed by prize draws, drinks, canapes, and networking.

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