Family & Domestic Violence Leave Entitlement
Millions of Australians will be entitled to ten days paid domestic violence leave after a landmark decision by the Fair Work Commission (FWC). The decision, which currently affects those employed under the 123 current industry awards, is likely to set a precedent right across Australia, means that workers should be able to access the leave […]
Anti-Troll Legislation
Be aware of what you say online or you could find yourself in court In recent weeks the Federal Government has been working on introducing new legislation. These new laws have been dubbed “anti-troll” legislation, and specifically focus on cyberbullying. The laws, if enacted, would require companies such as Facebook, Instagram, Google etc, to reveal […]
RATs in the cupboard – Living with Covid
Children are back at school, people are returning to the workplace, borders have opened and … Covid-19 is running rampant across the country. Vaccinations and RAT testing As part of the plan for moving forward, double-vaccinations are required in many circumstances, and so is Rapid Antigen Testing. In recent days the Supreme Court of New […]
Cyber crime is on the rise – make sure you protect yourself
There’s been a couple of stories in the media lately which are testament to the ever increasing sophistication of online scams. These should act as a warning for us all to remain vigilant and to take appropriate steps to protect our privacy as we spend more and more time online. Almost 16 million Commonwealth Bank […]
Speeding in School Zones
It’s so easy to get caught out doing the wrong thing as a driver in a school zone, and it is one of the most common traffic offences, particularly here in the Northern Rivers. Why? Well, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, in the little villages in and around the hinterland, there are small country […]
What happens when a child is charged with murder?
One of the saddest stories to emerge in the past couple of weeks is that New South Wales Police have charged a 13-year old with murder over the fatal stabbing of a boy the same age. Police investigations are still underway, but it has been alleged by Police that the boys were engaged in a […]
Sexual harassment in the workplace
Sexual harassment, bullying, discrimination and workplace misconduct are all topics that are very difficult to ignore right now, particularly with the recent release of the Set the Standard report, the result of an extensive inquiry into the culture at Parliament House and it’s associated workplaces. The inquiry was one of several ordered by the Prime […]
New study shows police presence at music festivals can lead to drug overdoses
A new survey — purported to be the largest of its kind — suggests that a strong police presence at music festivals is a key factor in people ‘loading up’, that is taking all their drugs before entering festival gates, which can have serious consequences, potentially leading to illness and in some cases even death. […]
Class Action launched by attendees of Splendour in the Grass
A class action lawsuit has been launched for people who believe they were illegally strip searched by New South Wales Police at Byron Bay’’s iconic music festival Splendour in the Grass in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. The class action is the result of an inquiry conducted by the police watchdog, the Law Enforcement Conduct […]
Drug policy is changing for the better in New South Wales
Recently the New South Wales Government has mooted that it’s considering making changes to drug policy and drug laws, to give some drug users ‘second chances’. This is really good news. Traditionally, the New South Wales Government has taken a hardline punitive approach to offences relating to drug use and drug possession. Currently, under Section […]
DV Funding
The new New South Wales Premier has announced the State’s biggest investment yet in assistance for victims of domestic and family violence. As part of the NSW pandemic recovery package, Premier Dominic Perrottet has announced that close to $500 million has been earmarked for new safe houses for victims leaving abusive relationships. Funds will be […]
Unvaccinated? – New Covid-19 health regulations you need to know
Greater Sydney opened up this week having reached a milestone of 80% Covid-19 vaccination rates. And this is good news, not just for those in the city who’ve endured 15 weeks of lockdown, but for the rest of New South Wales too, because it means we can start to move forward again. Part of the […]
Do you have a licence for your Gel Blaster?
BB Guns, Gel Blasters and Air Rifles are popular gifts for teenagers around the Northern Rivers region, especially for those young people who live on rural properties and have toads and rats and other vermin to shoot at, along with plenty of space to do so. And, when used responsibly, they can be good fun. […]
The rise of solo legal practitioners … and what that means for clients.
The 5th annual National Profile of Solicitors report has recently been released and it shows an interesting trend in the legal profession: Solo practitioners are on the rise. According to the report, out of the 16,393 private law practices registered across Australia, sole practitioners make up 82 per cent. One of the key drivers behind […]
No double-demerits for the long weekend
For the first time since they were introduced in 1997 double-demerits will not be enforced over the October 4 long weekend this year. While driving around the state is still largely prohibited for many people, the rationale from NSW Police is that people have had enough of strict rules and harsh penalties and there will […]
What are the penalties for failing to check-in at venues?
Byron Bay and Tweed Heads were plunged into lockdown again earlier this week after a Covid-infected reality TV show crew member flew into Ballina from Sydney, wandered through some shops and had a long meet up at the Kingscliff Pub. The woman, who is fully vaccinated, had been granted permission to leave her home in […]
More funding for local courts of NSW
Eight new local court Magistrates have been approved for New South Wales, and the State Government has also promised to invest more than $56 million over the next four years to boost resources for prosecutors and Legal Aid. Coffs Harbour, along with local Courts at Albury, the Central West, Illawarra, and Wagga Wagga, as well […]
Court in Covid
What if I have to go to court during the Covid-19 lock down? (the following is relevant only to the NSW lockdown in place for all of NSW, during August 2021, and which may be extended beyond August) Courts in Far North New South Wales, and across the entire state have changed the way they […]
Covid lockdown rules for northern NSW
From Coffs to Tweed – the North coast covid lockdown — new rules and penalties you need to know Just as we were hoping the imposed lockdown would end and we could return to ‘some sense of normalcy’, over the weekend the NSW Government ordered a snap seven-day lockdown of the entire state. There are […]
Splendour In The Grass – Local Court Appearances
Byron Bay Local Court to be busy with Splendour In The Grass offences A high-visibility police operation took place at the four-day Byron Bay festival – Splendour In The Grass – with 350 drug detections and a “record ammount” of more than 3kg of illicit drugs seized, predominantly MDMA tablets and to a lesser extent […]
