Inflation affects how past losses are measured, how statutory amounts are updated, and how future losses are projected. Getting indexation right is not a minor detail — in long-running matters, it can make a meaningful difference to the final damages figure.

Australia's income tax rates changed from 1 July 2024, with the second marginal rate falling from 19% to 16%. This directly affects how net wages are calculated in economic loss reports and must be correctly applied to assessments covering the 2025 and 2026 financial years.

Following Gray v Richards, two methodologies have developed for calculating fund management costs in personal injury matters. The Present Day Value and Actual Value approaches can produce materially different results, and understanding both is important for legal teams and their clients.

A large personal injury award placed under formal management will attract significant ongoing fees. The cost of fund management is a recognised head of damage that can add hundreds of thousands of dollars to a claim and must be carefully calculated.

A lump sum compensation award is not simply a weekly loss figure multiplied by the number of years remaining. Life expectancy determines the period over which future losses are projected, and small differences in that period can produce large differences in the final award.