Insights by emailFree

Practical notes on contracts, claims and payment law

New case notes and guidance on security of payment, claims, variations and contract administration in Australian construction, in one email, no more than once a month. Written for contractors, subcontractors, principals and their lawyers.

Written by Malachy Mullin MRICS ACIArb, Director of SUMIT.

Latest · Guidance · 12 October 2026

Practical completion stops liquidated damages and starts the defects liability period

IllustrativeOne issue: the month's articles, each with a short summary and a link.

First name and email are required. The rest helps us write for you.

What you get

How often: No more than one Insights email a month, when there are new articles.
What is in it: Each case note and guidance article published that month, with a short summary and a link to read it in full.
Who it is for: Contractors, subcontractors, principals and their lawyers.
What it is not: Advice on your contract. The articles are general commentary.
Cost: Free.
Leaving: Every email has an unsubscribe link.
Your details: Used to send the email and to shape what we write about. The privacy policy has the detail.

Earlier case notes and guidance

Guidance7 October 2026

Back-to-back subcontracts usually mean incorporation by reference and compressed time bars

Subcontracts described as 'back-to-back' often incorporate documents the subcontractor has not seen, compress notice periods below workability and let head-contract milestones control subcontract money. The five recurring traps, and the one-page audit that catches them.

Guidance5 October 2026

A NSW adjudication determination cannot be quashed for non-jurisdictional error of law

Why an adjudicator's error of law within jurisdiction is not reviewable, the forms of jurisdictional error that are, how Queensland and WA differ, and how to decide whether a challenge is worth its cost.

Guidance30 September 2026

A bank guarantee call can be clawed back in NSW, and the right to call can expire

When a call on a bank guarantee can be restrained, how EnerMech lets a contractor bring called security into a payment claim, Victoria's notice and release rules, and the NSW and WA retention trust regimes.

All case notes and guidance

Other ways to follow

SUMIT on LinkedInThe firm's company page.
Malachy Mullin on LinkedInDirector.
RSS feedNew articles as they are published, for a feed reader.

Subscribe