Category: General Law

Australian Criminal Law The international US story of a 34-year-old female teacher (Letourneau) who seduced one of her 12-year-old students (Fualaau) into a relationship raises clear questions as to how this situation would be dealt with under Australian Criminal Law. Letourneau originally pleaded guilty to two counts of felony second-degree rape of a child in 1997 and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment as a result. As this is a US case, the legal position is slightly different in the...

Aggravated Sexual Assault Bill Cosby was convicted of aggravated sexual assault and sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for the acts committed against several women. Although the term “sexual assault” is well-known in both the US and Australian jurisdictions, the Australian position differs slightly. Pursuant to the Criminal Code 1899 (Qld) section 352, any person who unlawfully and indecently assaults another person, or, procures another person to commit an act of gross indecency without consent is guilty of a crime. This...

Current and New Smoking Laws QLD Australia New Smoking laws QLD was originally restricted in certain areas such as indoor dining areas and other licensed premises under the Tobacco and Other Smoking Products Act 1998 (Qld). Amendments to this legislation in 2004 resulted in stricter bans, with children’s playgrounds, stadiums, beaches, and near entrances of buildings and public transport making the list of restricted areas. Smoking laws subsequently included the outdoor eating area in 2006 and more recently, pedestrian malls,...

Is Drink Driving Only Applicable For Cars? Nope! If you are caught drink driving, there is a strong chance the vehicle will either be a car or motorcycle. These two categories of transport form approximately 98% of the current drink driving charge in Queensland. However, these are not the only forms of transport you are able to be caught drink driving. Do you know the laws? The Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (Qld) provides an array of different...

Since the implementation of the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017, factors such as sex and gender no longer affect Australian marriage rights, with same-sex marriage now legal amongst all states and territories. These changes altered the existing Marriage Act 1961, redefining marriage to be ‘the union of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life’. Same-sex Marriage Marriages involving couples of the same-sex are recognised with Australian divorce proceedings, regardless of whether...

Sentencing Approaches Undertaken by the Australian Court In the last five years, the High Court of Australia has heavily criticised sentencing principles that implement an oversimplified approach and place significant weight to broad sentencing ranges and individual factors. As a result of this increased criticism, the court’s approach has slowly shifted to sentencing approaches which implement an order determined on balancing all circumstances of the case to reach a single judgement, as opposed to specific process or components. Historical Approach...

Best Time For Divorce The promotion of the best time for divorce is intended to bring attention to the importance of minimising conflict between couples following the unfortunate breakdown of the relationship. Common in these situations, both parties will be subject to a wide range of difficult emotions; inevitably though, both parties will suffer.   During these times of significant transition, children often find it difficult to cope with the vast number of events happening. Children may typically display and...

Electronic Signatures in Australia In today’s society, most documents used in day-to-day business can now be filled out and signed electronically. The Electronic Transactions (Queensland) Act 2001 (ETA) is the legislation that governs the permitted use of electronic signatures. Although the ETA does not include a comprehensive definition of what constitutes an ‘electronic signature, this term usually encompasses images displaying the person's signature, typed name, or some other form of identification. The courts have previously held that a name, either...

The term lifestyle clause has grown in popularity over recent years. It’s something that is trending with first-time newlyweds; as well as those who have walked down the aisle before. So what is a lifestyle clause? It’s about locking in a variety of terms and conditions before the big day in an attempt to avoid misunderstandings and conflict of interest down the track. These clauses are often added as addendums in a prenuptial agreement and are in addition to things...

Recovery, Respect, and Hope Offered by Traditional Court Alternative by Brisbane Family Lawyer A successful initiative in the Brisbane Magistrates Court is assisting drug-addicted parents to get their lives back on track and resume their role in their children’s lives by Brisbane family lawyers. The Dandenong Drug Court, recently featured in television and print media, was introduced in response to the failure of the traditional criminal justice system to adequately address drug-associated offenses. Drug Courts are in operation in Victoria,...

The YES Vote Wins! So where to from here, and what does it mean for same sex rights? It was an awesome sight to see how Australia stood still to hear the news that, we the people, voted in the majority to legally allow same sex couples to marry.  The emotion and expression from so many who have been waiting for this day for so long were touching (even for us seasoned Family Lawyers).  This is a truly progressive and...

Divorce property settlement examples Hang on.  If you are in a relationship, does your partner have an interest? Unfortunately, the winning may not all be yours.  How would be the Family Court view on "Divorce property settlement examples" for a gold lotto prize?   A windfall can either be a sizable inheritance or a lotto win. In the eyes of the Family Court, an inheritance is treated differently to a lotto win. The Family Court has great difficulty in distinguishing...

Family Law Act amendments from Federal Government The Family Law Act amendments occurred in 2002 to deal with superannuation. It gave power to the Court to deal with superannuation entitlements.   The amendments allowed the Court to transfer entitlements in the fund of one of the parties to the other.  The person receiving the benefit of the entitlement in the other party’s fund would keep that entitlement in the fund or roll the entitlement out into a fund of that party’s...

How Do You Respond To A Legal Letter? If you have ever had a person serve you Court documents at your home or in public or you have ever had a legal letter sent to you out of the blue you know it can be an unnerving experience. Very often it catches you by surprise and elicits feelings of surprise, anger, disbelief, and often leads to a stressful time ahead. How do you respond to a legal letter? How To...