Author: Alexandra Jarrett
More coercive control law changes in Queensland from May 2025
The Queensland government has made big moves when it comes to tackling domestic and family violence. From 26 May 2025, coercive control will be a criminal offence with serious penalties – including up to 14 years imprisonment for offenders.
Misleading and deceptive conduct in the workplace
Misrepresentation involves providing false or misleading information that induces another party to act, leading to potential harm or loss. In the workplace, misleading and deceptive conduct by employees or employers can lead to financial, professional and legal consequences.
Closing Loopholes No. 2: independent contractor arrangements
From 26 August 2024, the Fair Work Act definition of “employee” has changed. The changes were made to address issues related to the classification and treatment of independent contractors, ensuring fairer work conditions and protections for such workers.
Bail applications in Queensland
If charged with a criminal offence in Queensland, prior to your matter going to trial you may seek bail. Bail is a promise, or an undertaking, that you will return to court on a set date and abide by certain conditions. Read more about applications, conditions that may be set, variations and breaches.
Benefits of contemporaneous notes in legal proceedings
If you’re in a dispute that may end up in legal proceedings, contemporaneous file notes can be used as documentary evidence to corroborate direct oral evidence of a fact. They can be extremely useful in a variety of different situations, including disciplinary, bullying or discrimination issues in the workplace.
Drug diversion in Queensland
In criminal law matters in Queensland, there are two drug types of drug diversion. One is court ordered drug diversion and the other is police drug diversion. We explore the differences between the two.
Coercive control law changes in Queensland
There has been a growing recognition of the need to expand the legal framework for domestic violence beyond physical violence to include the complex dynamics of power and coercive control. The introduction of new legislation in Queensland to criminalise coercive control, is a step forward in addressing domestic violence.
Casual vs part-time and full-time employee rights and entitlements
There are three primary types of employment; full-time, part-time and casual. There are some common employee rights and entitlements that are shared across all three types of employment, however, a casual employee has fewer rights and entitlements than full-time and part-time employees.
Is unpaid work legal in Australia?
There are some unpaid work arrangements that are lawful, and some that are not. Whether an unpaid work arrangement is lawful or not depends upon the nature of the arrangement.
Volunteer workplace rights and obligations
Volunteers are not covered by any State or Federal employment awards or workplace agreements, however, they still have workplace rights that are protected in legislation.
Respect@Work Bill to strengthen sexual harassment prevention requirements in the workplace
The Australian Human Rights Commission "Respect@Work Report" made 55 recommendations focusing on preventing and addressing sexual harassment in the workplace.
Difference between unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal
Unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal are often used interchangeably. However, they are not the same and there are key differences between the two.