r/AusLegalAdvice

As above. In WA.

TIA

okay hi and apologies for the lack of proper formatting and obligatory don’t use reddit often. okay so i’m a permanent part time worker (relatively new hence my unsureness) in the community care sector (want to keep private unless absolutely necessary but think disability, youth work, peer work) in a residential care home that provides 24/7 care to the people in our care. here’s my problem, i have a permanent house where i will spend the majority of my shifts, but there is one house that’s been a major problem among female staff and as a result there is a major shortage. this is due to one of the clients attacking a female staff member and attempting to rape her. now supposedly many female staff have had issues and reported it but nothing has been done and they’re continuing to send female staff, even the ones who have been put at risk there. now here’s where i need advice, they rostered me on to do a sleepover at this house. at a sleepover i would be the only staff member present and feel as a women my life is genuinely at risk. i understand that as these workers we have to take risks but i was wondering legally can i refuse to go to that specific house if it’s a personal safety concern? and is my organisation continuing to allow female staff here a legal issue? sorry if this doesn’t make sense, happy to provide further context if needed. Thank you!

I recently purchased 2 Rolex's from a private seller....
and today i thought i should get them insured just incase so i took them into rolex to get them authenticated and have been told they were not genuine. The AD told me i could pay $150 each to send them off to Melbourne to get them further looked at which i have done but based on the initial comments there are too many red flags.

I have tried multiple times to get in contact with the seller through his mobile. umber and instagram but have had no reply and when i call his number it just goes straight to voicemail.

i have tried to do some research already and have found out i cannot lodge anything with the ACCC because it was a private sale.

and i am worried that if i go to the police they will just tell me its a civil matter...

Any tips or advice is greatly appreciated!

**** Hi everyone i hope you all see this, just want to say thank you to everyone who had helpful words to share with me, ive engaged with a lawyer today and have been told not to go directly to the police as its very likely they will just tell me " we'll see what we can do for you" its better if i have a lawyer already in my corner and then maybe they will investigate further but even still.... i have also been told this could become very expensive for me going down the legal road and the result may not be in my favour at the end because i willingly gave money to this person...he technically didn't steal it, he did give me watches with the word "rolex" on it and it will be difficult for me to prove that he himself did not know that they werent real...****

Hi :)

Hoping for some advice on this one. Solar company rang my dads small motel around June 2014. Was a 20KW Solar install for his business, under the agreement he signed a 60 Month term, equating to $834.00 a month, 84 total payments. ($70,056 over a 5 year period) Obviously a very expensive at the time, however got some nice power saving from the generated solar but owning the system after the 60 month period seemed obvious. This was not the case. The sales rep never once mentioned there were extra terms when signing the business up. The extra terms are, an extra 60 months after the first term is served, then a further 36 months respectively. These terms were never verbally mentioned by anyone during the signup, if they were, it would just be pure insanity to agree to it. The signup and signing process was all done remotely as his business is very rural and the company is 3 hours away.

Signed a Purchase Option agreement with 'C*** C** Energy Finance.' This document clearly states that upon expiry of the initial term of  the rental agreement, CCEF will grant the renter an option to purchase the goods for  $2190.50 plus GST.

This document says that we were supposed to give written notice of my intent to purchase within 6 months of the initial term, but this was never mentioned by any representatives and we never received any notifications  that we were supposed to do this.

Basically the whole thing was advertised to him as a rent to buy.

We tried to take legal action back in 2021, but they came back with their lawyers and shut down my dads effort pretty quickly, as they're a big energy company and dad was just a small business, the contracts are pretty tight, but overall just very misleading.

An interesting point of this though was that the system, if fails over the 20 year period, will be fully replaced. Not sure if they would even get that done though. Any help or guidance ? Happy to send through all the documents received from our lawyers and theirs.

Thanks :)

When I first moved into the property, I emailed the landlord about the window saying:

“If I tried to open the window upward, there's no way to keep it open and it will just fall down forcefully. I tried to put some things under the window to keep it open, but it keeps crushing them and shutting down.”

A handyman later came to inspect it. He said there was nothing they could do because replacing the whole window would be expensive. He gave me a wooden piece and told me to just place it under the window to keep it open. I usually open/close the window multiple times a day, and will have to move the wooden piece regularly.

Yesterday the wooden piece accidentally slipped, and the window slammed shut with force, which broke the glass.

Would I be considered legally responsible for the broken glass? And if so, how much would i be required to pay, if the property is low rent with a cheap old dirty window?

I'm wanting some advice on whether I need to actually engage a lawyer. Both of us would rather not spend extra on lawyers as our situation is relatively uncomplicated.

We've been married for approx 4 years, with no property or kids. The only "asset" is a car I own from before marriage (bought few months prior). We've otherwise shared expenses throughout our marriage for rent, living expenses and furniture. Money for rent was specifically transferred to my dad (he owns the place), so there was no official written agreement for this.

My savings also sat in his account for the last couple years (to reduce tax on interest as my income was higher). He's since returned it all.

I've returned all his gifts (including gold, luxury items, the ring), paid him back for his contribution to some of my medical expenses and our cat's surgery as I'm keeping her.

He's recently asking for few extra thousand as I'm keeping the bulk of the furniture.

I'm also paying for his rental car back to his parent's home interstate.

Recently I also got into a car accident where I was at fault and unfortunately the policy was under him, so he's made the claim but the agreement is that I'll pay the difference in premium increases the next few years if he gets a car.

I've written all this out as a message in our Facebook chat and he's agreed to it.

I don't think things will escalate from here but just in case, do I need to do anything further to protect myself? My savings are currently less than his but I anticipate I will overtake him during our separation period so would he have any claim to that? And what about after the divorce is finalised? If I wanted to buy property straight after, is there any issue with that?

I haven't talked to my parents in over 4 years due to child neglect and abuse over the years, and now they have made attempts to have me convicted by witholding vote paper and fines sent to the mail. One instance was them whitholding my voting papers which lead to a failure to vote fine. I am now going to recive a dog attack fine that happened at the address while I was out at work and that the dog was not registered to my name.

So I want advice involving one 18 year old and one 16 year old who are trying to purchase a house together, specifically I want advice on how if they could purchase a property together, the main issue legally is how to split the ownership additionally they also are getting a loan.

Thus the situation is a little crazy and I want advice for them.

I’m gonna mark the part where it’s just a back ground and then my actual problem, ik it’s a lot but please I’m really freaking out
Ps: 15 turning 16

BACKGROUND:
So my brother has been on and off with this lady for 10 years, they have 3 kids and both recently got addicted to ice last year, so during that time they’ve been getting into more dangerous arguments and my brother keeps calling my mum and stressing her out, before my mum block my SIL she was also harassing my mum, another thing is she loves putting out DVO’s, I wouldn’t say my brother is completely innocent but from what I’ve heard face to face and through my family she seems like the aggressor more, chasing my brother with a knife, getting someone to bash him, just absolutely screaming at my nephews and brother, she’s put 3-4 on my brother and one on my other brother and she’s tried to put one on my mum for putting her belongings in black bags and sitting them on our porch of the house we were letting them live in (which was still inside the property with a gate) but her dvo on my mum got tossed because of lack of proof,

ACTUAL QUESTION:
but recently like last night my brother called my mum about how something really bad has gone down with him and SIL and I felt so bad she was on the phone all morning with CPS trying to get a welfare check on my nephews so I added SIL on Snapchat, I didn’t mean to escalate the conversation with her but I was just trying to ask why she didn’t just have shared custody with my brother, she was dodging the questions, and then she got really defensive and started lying about being with my brother when he got out of jail (was released sometime April) when they were both posting photos together on each social media and we just started arguing, I do know that what I said is apparently “allegations” as in me calling her an ice addict and talking about how she does feed her kids (because the last time we were at their house there was a forth a loaf of bread and a empty milk bottle in the fridge, and apparently they didn’t have any food Friday) and another thing I possibly did wrong was arguing with her about how she lives off Centrelink. But my main concern is this harassment on my part? Throughout it she kept saying bye go away get lost and I just kept saying that I wanted to talk to her and she kept engaging, then she started taking screenshots and said “thanks for the evidence”
Is my arguing going to get my parents in trouble or me?
I’ve also texted her and my brother afew months before when everything blew up again on a burner account so I don’t want to get done for harassment

Hi, as the heading says, I've been accepted to be represented by a 'No Win No Fee' company. But before that I got in contact with Legal Aid and they have set up a meeting in a few months time.

What would be the best decision about who to use?

Earlier this week, I received a job offer for $118K for a professional role in downtown Boston. I countered at $138K, which was about 16% higher than their initial offer. The next morning after I sent the counteroffer, the company withdrew the offer and said they would move forward with other candidates. Honestly, I was shocked that they didn't come back with another number, ask any questions, or try to discuss it at all. I had gone through 6 interviews with them to get to that stage, including one with the COO, plus a lot of back-and-forth communication with HR.

The original offer felt a bit lower than expected for the city, especially given my background and what I was seeing in the market. If they had split the difference and gotten to around $128K, I probably would have accepted immediately. What confused me more than the number was how quickly they shut the whole thing down. No counteroffer, no "that's outside our range," nothing. Maybe they had another candidate they liked more during the roughly 3-day period between making the offer and withdrawing it.

But did I make a mistake? Did I push too hard? Was it unreasonable for me to expect them to at least come to a number somewhere in the middle between their first offer and my counteroffer? Looking back on it now, maybe I should have asked for $128K from the start, but that's easy to say after it's all over.

I know it's hard to judge this without knowing the role, my qualifications, the company, and so on. I think I'm just looking for your initial impressions: does this look like I overplayed it, or did they act strangely?

Hi,
I am just very upset on how my victims on crime progress has been. I was assaulted and robbed on April 2025, my application was lodged by a lawyer firm of July 2025. My lawyer conveniently forgot to apply for interim payment for doctor and dentist, and the assault itself has left me broke, and struggling to recover financially, and apparently the compensation doesn’t cover personal item that is damaged in Victoria. The case has been assigned to an assessor for over 3 months now.

Everytime I tried to ring FAS, they said they can not do anything to expedite the case nor they can send any interim payment cause my lawyer forgot to put it in. I just want to be paid back, it has been extremely frustrating, any advice or extra help I can access ?

Hey everyone, hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

A while back a friend got me involved in helping run a small online business in Australia. I was young, didn't really understand the full picture of what I was getting into and didn't set anything up properly from a tax perspective. All income came through Stripe and no tax returns have been lodged.

Now I'm trying to figure out how to clean this up properly and I'm not really sure where to start. Looking for advice, specifically with unconventional or grey area businesses, understands Stripe and ATO reporting, and is completely discreet and confidential.

It's become pretty urgent and I just want to get it sorted. Not looking for lectures, just practical help. If you can help please let me know, I appreciate it.

Hi everyone,

I need advice about my employment situation in Sydney, NSW.

Background: I work as a senior specialist in a tech startup in Sydney. I worked at this company 3 years ago for one year. Everyone was happy with my work. I left because the company was small and unstable. The founder personally contacted me and invited me to come back. The company grew from ~20 to ~90 people. I accepted the offer. They knew my work and my level.

What happened:

• During my probation I had one formal verbal feedback session after 3 months. It was very positive. That manager later left the company.
• After that I worked independently for approx. 2 month and did required deliveries for the company.
• A new manager joined the company approximately 6 weeks ago. We had very limited interaction.
• Approximately 1.5 weeks before my probation end date she called a meeting and told me verbally that I do not meet her expectations of a senior, that I show no ownership, and that I am not passing probation (if I continue this pattern of work).
• No written feedback was provided before or after this meeting.
• No Performance Improvement Plan was given at any point.
• No specific project failures were mentioned. I did all deliveries I was asked in time previously.
• The feedback was completely verbal and very vague.

Additional facts:

• I spoke with HR, the founder, and the recruiter after this meeting. None of them showed any interest in investigating the situation or supporting me. HR rejected the comms due to her anniversary (as of now, she hasn't comeback to me on this matter. 5 days passed, no follow up).
• After the meeting I was visibly shaken. HR did not check on my wellbeing or mention any employee support programs available in the company.
• I sent a medical certificate from my doctor to HR and the founder confirming work-related stress. Neither of them responded.
• My fitness tracker recorded a heart rate spike to 141 bpm during the 1:1 meeting — significantly above my normal resting rate of 68 bpm.
• I had other job offers at the time I accepted this position.

Current situation:

• I have been on sick leave since last Wednesday with a medical certificate.
• My probation period ends this coming Friday.
• I am planning to return to the office on Tuesday.
• I am planning to request a meeting with HR, the founder, and the hiring manager (no current manager, I don't trust her honest and objective opinion as well as I am not physically comfortable talking to her) to understand my official employment status.

My questions:

1. What is my legal position given that no written feedback or PIP was provided?
2. Does the timing of this feedback — verbal only, 1.5 weeks before probation ends — have any legal significance?
3. What should I know before going into this meeting on Tuesday?
4. Is this situation worth pursuing through Fair Work or with an employment lawyer?

I already called Fair Work and they said they cannot help until there is a formal dismissal. I am looking for practical advice on what to do next. Any good contact details much appreciated.

Thank you.

I’m a licensed lawyer in Ontario, Canada, and I’m considering moving to Australia. I’m hoping to get some insight into the process for becoming admitted as a foreign-trained lawyer, particularly in either NSW/Sydney or Victoria/Melbourne.

For context, I have been practising law in Ontario for about two years, almost three. My focus is civil litigation, commercial and corporate law in Ontario. I understand that I may need to go through an assessment process and potentially complete some Australian law subjects or practical training requirements, but I’d appreciate hearing from anyone who has gone through this.

I’m also trying to get a sense of the legal job market in Sydney versus Melbourne. Is the move worthwhile for someone with a Canadian legal background and a few years of practice experience? Are there meaningful differences between the NSW and Victoria admission processes or legal markets that I should consider?

Any advice, experiences, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Academic misconduct

Hey guys,

So this is a long story that I am going to try to shorten to the best of my ability.

Last year I became aware of a Niece that was previously unknown to anyone on my side of the family (her biodad is my half brother). The mother kept her a secret for 13 years.

Lots of abuse and such occurred during those 13 years that I still don’t know the full extent of, however recently it got so bad that my Niece ran away from home (she contacted me the two weeks after she’d run away and we had no idea)

She has since been put in Residential Care, however last night she skipped curfew, was drugged, and she thinks she was raped.

I’m writing this because it’s Sunday and I can’t contact the DCP and I want to know if anyone has any idea what my legal rights would be if I wanted to adopt her. Because I do, as a survivor of CSA myself it pains me to not be able to protect her.

The big issue is I’ve never met her in person, I am only a half uncle, and she is in SA while I am in NSW

Any help would be greatly appreciated