As far as I understand in Victoria, the Limitations Act says that for the tort of conversion, the limit is six years.

Normally, you would expect some large places like hospitals to have legal teams that advise them on how to treat found property. This wikipedia page seems to explain it best https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parker_v_British_Airways_Board

Does anyone know what the policies are for various Hospitals in Victoria, and in particular for how long they keep found property before either giving it to the employee or adding it to their balance sheet?

Hi all, hoping someone who's been through this recently can give me a realistic idea of timing.
My lawyer has filed for final parenting orders in Brisbane, I'm asking for permission to relocate overseas with my son (15). Lawyer has been great, but is hesitant to give me guidance on timing.
My son’s father is completely absent and he’s ignoring correspondence. I'm not expecting him to file a Response or turn up.
My question is, once the court is satisfied he's been served and isn't going to take part, how long does it usually take to get to an undefended final hearing and final orders?
Also is a Child Impact Report ever ordered for this kind of international relocation request when one parent doesn’t want anything to do with the child (and if so, how long does that take)?
Thank you

Hey everyone, just looking for some advice. Last night, I was stopped at a red light waiting to turn right into a side street. The light was green when I went through, and I was travelling really slowly, definitely under 10 km/h in a 70 zone. The camera flashed, and I’m confused because I didn’t run a red light or speed.

I’m on my red Ps, so I’m a bit stressed about potentially losing my licence. Has this happened to anyone else, and did you end up getting a fine? Also, if I do receive one, what’s the process for appealing it?

didn't add that I was the only one on the road!

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Hi there, my car was damaged by a truck, and the driver has admitted fault. Unfortunately I was stingy and didn't pay for hire car as part of the policy.

I have contacted the other party's insurance but I'm not sure what chances I have. On principle I think I have a prety good basis: that I should not be disadvantaged due to someone else's poor driving. In practice.. has anyone been in this position?

Thanks!

Evening folks

I have a friend who has got themselves into a spot of bother. Their car was searched and the cops found methamphetamine and a small knife without a valid reason. Its their first offence. He is approximately 40 years of age. He works in the education sector.

He believes he will receive a criminal charge.

He believes he will loose his position.

How likely is it that an employer needs to take action against someone with a knife charge, I'm confident it should be zero as the person is not violent.

If it is his first offence can you see a criminal charge coming?

Hi all just wanted to check what are the legalities of the permanent 40hr work week. Our company now expects us to do 40hrs per week permanently, just based on a roster schedule we signed on our contract. But there is a clause in our contract that says we are to work at least 38 ordinary hours, next clause says that company may require us to work additional hours depending on business operation needs and that we are already compensated based on our award rate(which is also included in the roster schedule paper we signed) I just want to understand if the roster schedule overrides the clause in our contract.

Is it common to have a 'Charge securing costs' clause that states the lawyer is 'entitled to lodge a caveat on the title of x property restricting transactions with the property until our costs are paid'?

This property was a house I once lived in; I have no title interest in it. The address came up in initial conversations when my id was verified. Am about to sign the contract...

My child is 7 and seeing an independant children’s lawyer for an interview. This isn’t a court ordered family report, that’s been done so now ICL wants to meet our child.
Has anyone been through this? Is it same as the family report? More/less?

When I first started work with a company, I was signed on as a “Apprentice” in WA, but I only signed a contract with the company and not a RTO. Here if you dont sign a contract with any registered training organisation, the contract is void.

I went to fairwork about it, they did say it was a breach of guidelines, and they contacted the company but they denied fault.

Story short, got signed on with a RTO a year later. i calculated the backpay and it was $10k (I have a specific number from my payslips.

I think my only option is small claims, and Im pretty sure I cant get a lawyer for something like this. What are my options?

I had been employed as a casual at a catering company under the General Hospitality Award since 2021. During 2021-2022 I was doing multiple 40-50 hour week shifts since the period was so busy, understaffed and was only able to end shift whenever all of the tasks were finished. I was paid base and penalty rates for all of my overtime hours, but none of the 1.5x/2x overtime rates.

Is it possible to receive backpay on those rates from 2021? They started paying overtime rates properly mid 2022. I’m also worried that it is too late to follow up on this. Thank you!

I am working with one of the state government departments in Victoria. I called out protectionist attitude of the contract manager towards one of the major vendors. I suspected corruption as they wouldn’t let the vendor go despite performance issues with the vendor flagged for years. There are others who know that the contract manager is corrupt but won’t come forward and say openly for the sake of their jobs.

Ever since I raised a flag about this protectionist attitude, I had a target painted on my back. My manager who works closely with the contract manager and the two report to a senior leader who all seem to be colluding. Who knows how far the gravy train goes. Despite a stellar performance, my manager marked my performance down and took my team away from me. To make things worse, he does bugger all himself. This is related to the emergency management on Victoria and due to his inability to comprehend and act, the services are suboptimal and quite poor in some cases.

I escalated to the top management about this bullying and vilification and their attitude has been “it’s all fine, nothing to see here”.

I continue to report to this excuse of a manager and the bullying continues. What are my legal options here? I escalated to the Minister but they all seem to be busy with the election.

I have a question regarding redundancy payment.

Employer has deemed jobs redundant that affects over 50 positions, there are cases of individual work 'areas' seeing cuts to numbers where employees may apply for a redundancy. Area A is seeing a loss of 2 permanent positions though 3 people would happily apply for redundancy, area B is seeing a reduction of 2 positions that ultimately dissolve that role entirely and the 2 people affected would happily redeploy instead of having to find another job. There is the case of a 'false' redundancy if 3 people go from area A and are immediately replaced with a worker from area B. Can the false redundancy be avoided in any way seeing that everyone involved would be happy with the changes if the people who want to leave are given the opportunity to do so and people who want to remain employed are given the same chance. Feels like a win win for those involved but that false redundancy looms over head.

Hey everyone,
I’m looking for honest advice from people familiar with the Australian criminal justice system, particularly NSW, or anyone who has been through something similar.
I’m a 22-year-old French citizen who was living and working in Sydney. I was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in a domestic violence matter. I had no previous criminal record and was working at the time.
While my criminal case was ongoing, my mother became seriously ill with advanced cervical cancer. I was terrified of losing her and wanted to return to France to be with my family.
My second Working Holiday visa application was refused, and I was given a deadline to leave Australia. I was also dealing with bail conditions in NSW that had previously restricted my travel.
I applied to the court for permission to leave Australia, and the court allowed me to travel. I left Sydney on 18 August 2026 and returned to France. My passport was returned to me, and my bail conditions were lifted effective 18 August.
I have remained in France since then and have not returned to Australia.
I recently heard from my lawyer that Legal Aid NSW will withdraw from my case because I am now living overseas. My next court date is 28 October 2026, for a charge certification listing. My lawyer told me that the court may issue a warrant at that hearing because I am overseas and have not appeared in court.
As far as I currently know, no warrant has been issued yet.
I’m trying to understand the realistic consequences of my situation, especially because I’m a French citizen living in France.
I’d really appreciate informed answers to these questions:
How likely is it that the NSW court will issue a warrant at the next hearing?
Could NSW authorities realistically seek an international arrest warrant or request my extradition from France?
Does the fact that I obtained permission from the court to leave Australia and had my bail conditions lifted make a significant difference?
Could the criminal proceedings continue in my absence, or would the case generally have to wait until I return?
Has anyone seen a comparable case involving a foreign national who left Australia while facing serious criminal charges? What actually happened?
Realistically, what factors would determine whether Australia pursues extradition in a case like this?
I’m not trying to get advice on how to evade the authorities. I want to understand the legal situation I’m facing and make informed decisions about my future.
Please be honest with me. I’m aware these are serious charges, and I’m not looking for false reassurance or worst-case scenarios presented as certainties. I’d appreciate answers based on actual experience, reliable sources or knowledge of NSW and international extradition procedures.
Thanks for reading.

I will try to be brief but will elaborate if needed. I'm sorry if this doesn't quite fit here. I couldn't find a better sub and I need Australian-centric advice.

I work at a small business which is prominent in a small but recognisable industry. The industry relates to a hobby/avocation and not to my degree. I have been working there as a casual for well over five years. I love my job and I care about the customers.

The business is on extremely shaky ground. General retail downturn combined with an unforeseen 'natural disaster' that affected our business. I speak to people on the phone all day who have been affected by that natural disaster.

Business has a few issues:

I have never been paid to award, and have never been paid casual loading. My dad has worked at the business for 10+ years and he has likewise always been underpaid. At the moment the boss pays him with prepaid credit cards for the occasional shifts he does.

Boss' son has been bullying another coworker in a way that really worries me. Have emailed the boss about it. Total brush off.

Numerous OH&S issues. The most worrying of these issues is a chemical exposure which I have repeatedly brought up. I had a conversation with the boss today when I kept trying to explain that small repeated exposures of the stuff cause kidney failure and he just kept disagreeing with me. It's like there's always a vague counter-example that he can use to ward off the truth, voodoo style, but it has the effect of me repeating myself until I feel like I'm in the wrong for bringing it up. But I am not. The shit is dangerous! Once the chemical was all over the kitchen table and I wiped it off and they all kind of mocked me for being an 'old woman'. The overall process has been that I've always been minimised/disagreed with when I brought up the hazard. It makes me the 'odd one out' and is just weird and seems really dysfunctional.

The other day, I had a conversation with the boss that was the straw that broke the camel's back. I ended up writing a long message to our work chat outlining all the issues I have. Work meeting is called.

Work meeting ended up being dominated by another casual employee. Risk is just part of small business. **Being underpaid is just part and parcel of small business these days, too, so maybe I should get a side hustle.**I kind of assumed that since she comes across as a cross between Rupert Murdoch and the lady from the Devil Wears Prada that other employees found it as ridiculous as I did, but no, today the boss basically told me he agreed with her.

On the new roster, I have been cut down to one day a week. I have a loan. I have my nut to make. Boss says the one day a week is because I need a 'rest'.

I consider the boss a friend. I think he is too stressed to think straight and he needs an intervention for his micromanaging. But the one day a week is pretty hard to deal with.

My questions:

I am worried that reporting will hurt the business/customers. Should I be worried about that?

If I leave the issues unreported, am I to blame for a future accident or illness?

If I report them, am I to be blamed for whatever happens to the business?

Have I reached the stage where I'm obliged to go to Fair Work?

Is there any chance of me being able to recover lost hours (I am just a casual) or money through Fair Work? I'm concerned that going this route will destroy my relationship with the business and the customers. On the other hand, I've been underpaid. I have discussed the underpayment with my boss verbally in the past but of course nothing is on paper. How likely am I to recover underpaid wages?

Is reporting safety issues to SafeWork likely to be useful at all? Ditto psychosocial hazard. Can my employer be obliged to deal with these things in some way? The business is enormously disorganised and dysfunctional, but does this constitute a psychological hazard?

Hello. Seeking advice regarding and event that happen to me. In 2024 I finish work at a place and one worker was finish up in 3 months decided to follow me in another venue early as i offer him the position if i started and have a position for him(he was casual).

The owner when full berserk threatened me. I block him anywhere an forget about it. Flash forward to today he did a fake profile on FB find me and went again berserk but this now heavily saying I should "off" myself (as diagnosed manic depressed is a huge trigger). He will pay visit to my wife and mother to sexually assault them and wish horrible death in graphic manner for the rest of my family. Now he is a violent man with severe drug abuse problem so my wife and family suggest to do nohtin because he is insane but he is a threat not only to me but to the community and workplace for my ex colleagues. I am also pretty sure he commit fraud on visa and business but I dont have proof of that. I only have 4 pages of vile threat.

Any suggestion is appreciate, I am just gathering information for now as I want my family to be safe as it is my priority.

Last week I was turning right on a 2 lane round about, entered from west in the right lane, exited to south in left lane (changing lanes after the apex of the roundabout) and the other vehicle entered from east to turn south and collided with the trailer I was towing.

Normally I would stay in the right lane but, I used the left as I needed to exit the road about 50m after the roundabout and, with the assumedly correct knowledge of the rules that all vehicles entering a roundabout must give way to any vehicle in the roundabout.

Am I correct in the fact the other driver is at fault? I've searched through previous posts here and believe I had right of way.

I bought a 2005 Honda Accord Euro for $6,500 in Queensland. The disposal date was 27 September 2026, and it came with registration and a safety certificate. I understood it as a private sale, but the seller sold it to me through his brother’s dealership, so I’m unsure who legally counts as the seller.

Less than a week after purchase, mycar inspected it and found airbag/SRS fault codes. I subsequently found the required SRS fuse missing and what appears to be tape covering the airbag warning light.

After fitting the correct fuse, the power-supply code disappeared, but codes remain for internal SRS control-unit failure, a side-airbag circuit fault and no communication from the passenger-seat detection unit.

The current odometer is 976 km above the reading on the safety certificate. I commute a long distance to university, so this is increasing quickly. I haven’t confirmed whether the certificate reading matches the purchase-day reading.

I have photos, an ignition-on video, scans, seller messages and the certificate. A specialist hasn’t independently confirmed the apparent tampering yet. I’ve changed the oil/filter and replaced the fuse, but haven’t repaired the underlying SRS faults.

• Does the dealership’s involvement change my rights compared with a private sale?
• Should I get an independent written report before contacting the seller or roadworthy issuer?
• If concealment is confirmed, could I seek repair costs or cancellation of the sale?
• Given the dates, kilometres and fuse replacement, should I contact TMR immediately?

TL;DR: Bought a $6,500 car through the seller’s brother’s dealership on 27 September. mycar found SRS faults within a week; later found a missing fuse and apparent tape over the airbag warning. Currently 976 km above the safety-certificate reading. Seeking advice on evidence, sale status and QLD remedies.

Basically a 24 hour gym has their lights on all night for their carpark. A few of the lights are outside and point directly outwards, while some are just their semi undercover parking lights.

It’s super intrusive on the bedroom of my property. What’s the best step to getting this fixed or and I basically fucked.

Hi everyone, looking for some legal/consumer rights guidance regarding an online purchase in Australia.

I placed an order on the Marimekko Australia website back on September 21st. Because the items were intended as a gift for a friend, I specifically paid an extra $25 for Express Shipping.

Here is the timeline of what’s happened since:

1. Weeks passed with no shipping confirmation, tracking number, or notification of delays.
2. Yesterday, after weeks of silence, I called their customer service line and left a voicemail.
3. Later yesterday, I received an email response from customer support stating they are looking into it / processing delays, but provided no concrete dispatch date or tracking details.
4. I tried calling them back today to follow up on the email response, but their phone line went straight to voicemail and stated that their message bank was completely full and couldn't accept further messages.

Given that I paid a premium for Express Delivery and the items were time-sensitive gifts, waiting several weeks with zero dispatch or clear updates feels like a failure to provide the paid service.

My questions for the sub:

• Under Australian Consumer Law (ACL) regarding services not rendered with due care/skill or within a reasonable timeframe, am I legally entitled to an immediate refund of the $25 Express Shipping fee?
• If the order still hasn't been dispatched, can I declare this a "major failure" in service delivery and demand a full cancellation and 100% refund of the entire order?
• What is the recommended formal path if they refuse to refund the express fee or issue a store credit/goodwill remedy—should I lodge a dispute with WA Consumer Protection / Fair Trading or request a bank chargeback?

Appreciate any advice or experiences from others who have dealt with similar retail shipping issues!

I have been on sick leave for several months, union involved. Previous union worker stated if on sick leave, i shouldn't attend IME. New union worker is pushing++ for me to attend stating that 1. I have deferred IME before and missing this one could lead to termination 2. That i could use the IME report to support my application for Income Protection as my GP refuses to provide a summary for me. I dont see any specialists to provide paperwork.

As much as id like to apply for IP, I am resistant to see IME and id rather not go back to work. Your input and experience would be great.

Thanks

I went to buy some books today and they were advertised at a discounted price online, and the business refused to honour said prices based on the fact that they had an "online only" line under the price. The discount wasn't small, it was around 25%. Do I have recourse to report them to Consumer Affairs Vic or the ACCC? The ACL and Fair Trading Act 2012 is a lot to wade through.

I have been told about a fine I have that has turned into a warrant. I was never handed a fine originally but fines.vic is saying I was. Fine is for failure to control a motorcycle with an obstructed view or pet/person on my lap. Rego associated with fine is for the ford ute I owned at the time. I never had an obstructed view or anything in my lap but I did crash my ute the day before the date of offence. Spoke to police when that happened but no fines or anything and left with a friend who towed my Ute. Today is the second time I have submitted an online enquiry but fines is saying I didn’t submit the last one.. Any advice on what I can do would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Context: I rented a big room with an old friend (landlady) living in a 4 bedroom house with her relatives. I paid $_00 per week, cash. She was not declaring it as an income, she is on Centrelink pension. (Is this illegal?)

I only usually stay in my bedroom. Then when she noticed that I have a lot of things already, she forced me to pay her $180 for a small secondhand shed and put my things there. 😭

Then, after a couple of months, she's telling me that I need to leave because her other relatives will stay there. I had no choice but to find another accommodation. I developed anxiety and depression because of her, and because of my fear of being homeless. I took medications.

Thankfully, I found a new house before she could evict us. But because I was rushed, I didn't have enough time and money to get my precious things left in the shed outside their house. Then this last week, I asked her when can I get our things. But she said that she already threw them away. There are precious and expensive items, even books that I borrowed from our university library (with a very big fine if I won't return.)

When I left, I sent her a message not to throw my items in the shed and I will get it when I have the time, because I am so busy in juggling work and study. But I learned that she threw them away when her relatives from their country came to visit her. So she may have also sold those items or her relatives kept my things to bring back to their country.

I was crying all week. I don't know what to do. What are our rights here? Can I ask her to pay for the library fines and my precious things? Where can I report her? I was so kind to her, and yet she treated me this way. 😭

Hi all,

As a young person, child safety was involved numerous times in my household due to physical and emotional abuse from my stepfather for 7yrs.

As I child I asked for help from teachers etc. multiple times and it was reported to DOCS and they never did anything except send him to a parenting course/anger management class once.

It even got to the point that by the time I was 11, I had attempted to take my life multiple times due to the abuse. DOCS was fully aware of this yet they kept me in the home and there was no action against my stepfather or mother (who enabled the abuse against me).

I was put in foster care once for a week, then placed in my grandparents home for a few months then ended up back in my family home and they did not care. The abuse continued.

I am still suffering to this day (in my 20s now) with severe depression and complex PTSD from what happened to me.

Is it possible to sue DOCS or receive compensation for the damages caused to me by their negligence?

If anyone has any experience with this - please let me know. I believe it would be really healing for me to be able to hold them accountable in some way and receive acknowledgment that they did fail.