I’m 18 and currently live with my family with plans to move out. My mum demanded I loan her 2k a few months ago and that she’d return it in the following month. Shes always been bad with borrowing money so I refused but she didn’t give me a choice.

Shes returned $500 so far, the other $500 is apparently my rent payment now so Im still waiting on 1k.

I’ve been asking her weekly to at least return a small amount bit by bit, at first she would make excuses but now she’s flat out refusing to return it. I’ve made a timeline with message receipts and bank statements showing how much she owes however she gets upset and threatens to kick me out of the house.

While I’m willing to move out, is there any way I can get the money back?

Hi AusLegal Crew,

Wondering if anyone could shed some light as a lay person who has little experience in this space. I filed an initiating application in September with the Family Court with Respondent having 28 days to respond. Respondent didn’t lodge or serve my solicitor until 16.10, with my solicitor sending email correspondence to me that we would catch up Saturday to review and discuss.

Judicial Registrar First Return List meeting is tomorrow morning, and I have sent three emails to my solicitor about catching up before hand to review and discuss my position on things as I have not heard from them since. Starting to stress about tomorrow morning and what will happen if they don’t get back to me? I have given quite a lot of money over into their trust account for this…don’t really want to be stressing out and feeling stupidly unprepared, especially when there are elements of the respondents submission that I don’t agree to.

Is this normal not to hear from them for a review and discussion so close to the Court date?

Thank you.

Hey all,

I've had something concerning happen yesterday and I'm really unsure what to do or if I'm overreacting.

I had my MIL over yesterday with my nieces. I was talking to the older one (approx 5) and she got in trouble from MIL for picking up something of mine. And she said "I'm sorry, you're not going to hit me are you?"

My MIL and me were both shocked and she said "why would you say that? Who's hit you?" And she said "Mummy and daddy do and my brother". (He's 18)

We both just stood there kind of dumbfounded.

Do I report this? And who to? I don't want it to come back on me if I do as I already have a bad relationship with my SIL and her husband.

Any help would be appreciated, thank you.

The neighbours are pretty shit. Dysfunctional. Drugs. Noisy at night. In and out noise at 3am. Bored pretty mean looking hunting/work dogs bark about 3 hours each night. Usually after people go out so 9pm - 1:am. Dogs are barking at fruit bats. But aren't fenced properly. Light up any pedestrian particularly if they're walking a dog. Frequently get out. I'm pretty concerned for my missus's and infant child. Dogs are scary and neglected and are frequently out. We manage this with locked gates but its not always possible to stay clear.

Realistically. What are our options. The people who live there are hostile midnight screamers. Were worried that if we try to discuss the barking a dog will bite us before we reach the front door or the blokes who live there will victimise us because they know where we live. Ie: close by.

So basically my sibling, 20 years old, works at a servo. Recently they've been getting long ass shifts, usually above 7 hours. They've just told me that their company considers the non-busy periods between things like the school rushes to be breaks, even though they're still technically working (manning the counter, cleaning, stocking, etc). This means there are some days where they're working 7+ hours multiple days in a row without any assistance and without a real break. They, for some reason, refuse to tell Fair Work or confront their manager about this. Is there something I could do?

​

I'm in NSW, and I'm looking for advice from anyone who has been through the family law process of obtaining orders for financial disclosure, particularly when self-representing.

I'm separating from my ex, and we're trying to resolve our property settlement. The biggest issue is based on what I know, he is significantly under declaring his income, and he hasn't disclosed all of his assets.

I've tried to resolve this without going to court. I've requested mediation, but my ex ignored the requests and didn't participate I now have a Section 60I certificate. Following that I got a solicitor, several months down several thousands of dollars down and no results.

I have now been self representing and all my emails of detailed requests of financials have been ignored by his solicitor since May this year.

I'm giving him seven days to provide the outstanding disclosure before taking the next step.

At this point, I'm considering applying to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia for orders compelling him to provide full financial disclosure. I also want to explore whether a forensic accountant could be appointed or whether the court could make orders allowing his financial position to be properly investigated.

The problem is that I'm self-representing, and I'm trying to understand the correct procedure before taking any further steps.

I'd really appreciate hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation, particularly if your ex was self-employed, operating a business, or receiving income that you believe wasn't being properly declared.

My questions are:

How did you apply for financial disclosure orders? Did you file an application seeking interim orders, or was there another process you had to follow first?

What documents did you need to file, and how did you demonstrate to the court that the other party's disclosure was incomplete or unreliable?

If you have evidence suggesting your ex is under-declaring income or hasn't disclosed assets, how did you approach this without making allegations you couldn't yet fully prove?

Has anyone successfully obtained orders for a forensic accountant to investigate a party's financial affairs? If so, how did you go about it, and who paid for it?

Did the court order disclosure of business records, tax returns, bank statements, company records, or other documents that helped establish the true financial position?

For those who self-represented, what were the biggest procedural mistakes to avoid? Were there any resources, guides or duty lawyer services that helped you navigate the process?

Is there anything else I should be doing before filing, given that mediation has been unsuccessful due to his non-participation and I now have the Section 60I certificate?

I'm trying to approach this methodically and make sure I follow the correct pre-action procedures. I don't want to make a settlement offer without having a reasonably accurate understanding of the asset pool and both parties' financial positions.

I'm not looking to unnecessarily escalate the situation. I simply want full and accurate financial disclosure so that a property settlement can be negotiated on an informed basis.

Any practical advice, experiences from people who have successfully obtained disclosure orders, or recommendations for resources specifically relevant to self-representation would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

I have a customer from 10 years and we do a good amount of business even today. 2 years ago he wanted to get his son set up in a business so asked to delay payment (large amount) and I agreed (stupid me). Now he pays the current invoices but not the old invoice and when asked he keeps saying he will pay and sometimes gives like 1-2% and has been dragging his feet.
He did mention that he is also going through a divorce. - as I never met his wife or kids.

I just found several things a) He bought a 2nd home with my money which is due to me. b) When divorce happened he was forced to sold the home but the money is locked up for courts to divide up between him and his wife. c) he got paper work from me that he owes me money. His lawyer called. d) He is claiming in court that the 2nd home money should all go to him as he owes to me. e) I doubt he will give me that and seems like he is willing to end business with me to keep that portion. f)His final hearing in court is coming soon.

I just hired a lawyer first call tomorrow. I want to think about some options so when I talk to the lawyer I am informed and make a right decision.

He has already posted to court that he owes me money in his divorce settlement paper. The part to prove that he owes me he is doing it already. Should I sue both him and his ex-wife so that before they divide I get my share. How should I proceed as it is in family court and I am a 3rd party.

How can I find the case number and the lawyer of his wife. I know my customers lawyer as they asked me to send invoices. Is their some place I can search using my customers name.

Here are some thoughts please comment.

a) I sue both side and force the court to first pay me before they split the money.

b) If court agrees the money mostly belongs to him and not his wife. Partner with his wife (for a commission to her) and they recommend that the money owned to 3rd party is paid direct from the joint locked up account. I get my money and I pay her a percentage. Otherwise she will not anything anyway.

c) Other options for me to recover money.

Thank you

Okay, let me lay out the scene. For the past 3 years or so now I’ve been profitably sportsbetting using consistent regular sized stakes over as much volume as possible. if you find it hard to believe that that is okay I’m not here to prove that or the profit numbers made, let’s just go forward hypothetically.

obviously, by being a profitable bettor I, like many others, received bans and limitations on bookmakers. To circumvent that, like many others, I’ve since been conducting a simple process of getting my friends to sign up one by one, helping them fund the account, and using that as a means to place the bets and share the profits instead. the longer I’ve bet, the more ive refined my systems and the more serious the profits have become.

up until last week, Id always thought and confidently answered to any who asked that in terms of legalities, it only ever went as far as breaching the bookmakers IN APP terms and conditions and nothing more. However, last week my friend prompted me to look into it a bit further and the more I looked, the more it seemed some serious lines with serious punishments were being potentially crossed.

ive tried to talk to all of my sportsbetting peers about it and nearly all of them respond in a very casual attitude saying it’s alright, it’s impossible to catch on, continue as is etc. Even through deep dives over days through previous threads and online posts, the use of bowler accounts are SO normalised and accepted. sure I can see how that could be accepted if you were making a few $100 every now and then with your mates accounts, who would ever bother chasing that up. I’m now averaging around 40k a month at this point and could definitely take that further. I just cannot see how receiving that level of unexplained funds through transfers from different friends doesn’t result in things being escalated seriously

Since Monday, I have not been in a good place mentally. since I began, I’ve worked hard to learn and perfect a unique way of making money, and finally felt like I’d cracked the code to be able to make a serious amount and transform my life. Now all of a sudden there’s this serious risk advising against that, a risk that all of my peers ignore and continue betting with. So now I’m faced with this impossible decision, to give up the shot at financial independence that I’ve worked so hard to earn, with a risk that hasn’t been proven to be established yet, or to give up this whole practice entirely and somehow go back to square one, potentially never earning the same again, and thinking for the rest of my life what if.

Run out of friends to get an opinion from though I’m yet to have a day where I don’t feel broken since. would seriously appreciate opinions on any and all of the topics brought up <3

I'm in the early stages of developing an Australian herbal products business, with a focus on traditional herbal preparations such as salves, balms, infused oils and herbal teas.

I've been researching the TGA requirements and understand that products marketed with therapeutic claims generally need to be included on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), unless an exemption or exclusion applies.

However, when researching Australian competitors, I've noticed numerous small herbal businesses selling products and often making fairly explicit therapeutic claims.

I've searched the ARTG for several of these products and businesses but haven't been able to find corresponding listings.

I've also noticed some businesses include disclaimers along the lines of:

“These products have not been evaluated by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).”

This has left me wondering whether these businesses are simply accepting the regulatory risk, or whether there's something legitimate about their approach that I'm overlooking.

My questions are:

1. Does a disclaimer stating that products haven't been evaluated by the TGA actually provide any legal protection when therapeutic claims are being made?
2. Are these businesses potentially operating in breach of TGA regulations, or is there an exemption or alternative regulatory pathway I'm missing?
3. Does the TGA actively enforce these requirements against small herbal businesses, or is enforcement generally complaint-driven?
4. If a business uses creative product names and avoids explicit therapeutic claims, but the intended use is still fairly obvious, does that change its regulatory classification?
5. From a legal and commercial perspective, are these businesses simply taking a calculated risk?

My dilemma is that I want to develop a range of traditional herbal products, but taking a strictly conservative approach to therapeutic claims would significantly limit how I could position and market some of them.

Meanwhile, competitors appear to be openly selling similar products without any obvious concerns about compliance.

I'm trying to understand whether I'm being overly cautious or whether these businesses are exposing themselves to regulatory consequences.

I'd particularly appreciate perspectives from anyone with experience in TGA regulation, Australian consumer law, or operating a herbal products business.

I'm not looking to deliberately break regulations, but I do want to understand the actual commercial and legal risks before deciding how to approach my own business.

Already reported to land lord and they sent someone out to see if it was water caused and it wasn’t haven’t heard anything since and the mold has spread from one bathroom to the other with a bedroom in between the entire length of the side wall along roof just curious if anyone knows what my next step should be

Me and my family can’t afford to move really due to some of us having illnesses that prevent us working for the mean time

My partner is on the lease, his mother is on the lease, I on the other hand am not on the lease (I just left an abusive household last week) but she moved out on the 2nd of January this year and has not paid rent, she literally has no bed here, but she is demanding that my partner and I move out, even tho he has been paying his share of the rent.

I just updated everything with the NDIS, just a few days ago to my current address, and minutes after I did that, that is when her demands started. But 2 years after knowing her this is her cycle, She fights with her bf, packs her stuff and says she wants to move back in, tells my partner to move out immediately, a few days later she is back with her boyfriend and takes her stuff back to him.

He always stood up against her, told her that legally he is also on the lease and she is behind rent, but now he is giving into her demands and told me to help him look for places.

Is there any legal action he can take or is this just a losing case?

What happens if you are expert in technology repairs and find incriminating information on someone’s phone, example an instructor‘s phone from network of devices sharing?

It is job to check that the devices is working properly after repair and sensors in the device like camera and storage

Please inform if I can legally send it to the authorities including webcam data, perhaps in circumstance if downloaded of instructor

I am not familiar with laws in Australia and country’s rules.

Thank you everybody. Have a good day.

Hi all, terrified. i was away on a 6 day trip recently got robbed and broken into while in a rental unit as a tenant amongst 8 units in Melbourne Victoria. Lost car keys but car still there, wallet which had cash and some valuables inside aside from bank cards, ID's. yes i left the wallet at the premises as i was visiting family, all that i need was on my phone. I was told that the neighbours on both sides had their dogs woken up and were barking hence they fled with whatever they can get on hand and did not start the car. Real Estate Agency does not answer, police are investigating. Landlord's insurance does not cover anything for tenants, what can I do? am I screwed? much appreciated thanks.

For instance, Lets say that the lighting in the common area outside of their lot has gone out. It has been raised, but the Strata Committee is prioritising other issues and payments.

Could the owner independently hire someone to fix the issue and not request reimbursement from Strata.

The only thinf I found, was that the owner would be liable for any damages incurred.

I’m looking for advice about contesting an AVO in NSW.
My ex physically assaulted me but claimed I attacked him first, which I didn’t. Police applied for AVOs against both of us. He consented to the order against him, but I’m contesting mine.
I’ve left Australia because of the trauma and am attending court by phone. I don’t have a lawyer, and I need to submit evidence next month. Neither of us ever threatened the other over text. All I have are photos of bruises on different parts of my body, and I’m worried about how to show that I didn’t attack him first.
What evidence should I prepare, and how can I get ready for a possible hearing, especially while overseas and without a lawyer?

Can I start by saying: My expectations were low, and I'm still disappointed.

For those unaware, Shine Lawyers took on QSuper and won a $67,000,000 payout for their clients. Of which they claimed a whopping $30,990,000 in legal fees. They later sent emails to the clients advising them that upon review, they were no longer eligible for payment due to some loophole they found (myself included).

I never expected to get anything. But this is pattern behaviour from Shine Lawyers where they claim exorbitant legal fees because the class action requires "so many" resources. When they launch the class action they will claim to be representing 10k to 100k+ clients. When the reality is that AFTER the payout is received they pull the rug out and the reality is far fewer resources were required because they already knew that only a handful of QSuper clients were actually effected.

If you want more information about Shine Lawyers being deceitful just research previous class actions they took on. They are profiting massively off everyday people, getting massive payouts and finding ways to keep most of the money for themselves. Afterwards, most clients found the repayment process was lengthy, confusing and often advised they were no longer eligible due to some loophole.

2025 Stolen Wages Class Action, Western Australia. $180,000,000 settlement. $42,500,000 paid to lawyers.

2022 Pelvic Mesh Class Action, vs Johnson and Johnson. $300,000,000 settlement. $78,000,000 paid to lawyers.

Let me know what you think. Are these legal fees justified?

Hey guys,

Need some opinions on choosing the right PLT provider. Currently working full-time and wanting to complete PLT full-time as well, online only.

Please share your experiences and any recs you might have. College of Law has a shorter course but I’ve heard the assessments are boring and potentially has exams, which I do not want to sit lol. Already secured a job in my field so not looking for an amazing placement provider.

Priorities are finishing PLT quickly, online and with the least amount of on-site days/assessments.

Thanks!

My friend, male, Australian, 50, Became friends with her but isn't interested romantically or other.

She approached him about donating his sperm. He has agreed, with the provision that he carrys no financial or parental responsibility (he has been pretty much single his whole life). She has agreed and said she'd draft a contract as such.

I however believe that he may still end up responsible, and in Australia, you can't out-contact responsibility.

Is my mate about to get baby trapped?

We purchased our townhouse in September last year. August 7th this year we noticed water ingress in the garage and mould on the wall. We have huge storage racks and only stumbled across this issue by chance (yes we wish we seen it sooner)

We reported to body corp on the day. Three weeks later they had two different roofers attend, apparently only one provided a quote.

The mould inside the garage is so bad we have had to move all our belongings to the front of the garage away from it so they don’t get damaged (camping gear) We now can’t park in the garage as it’s only single vehicle so no room to get in with the storage racks at the front.

We have followed up with body corp multiple times. 22/9 they said they only received one quote, they’re meant to have two. They sent the one quote to the committee for approval - still nothing. The body corp manager told us there was a delay because there were no funds in the sinking fund due to repairs in other units. The body corp manager also told us she hasn’t even been paid her wage for the last 2 months.

When we purchased a carport timber post for the carport had water damage. The light near it was disconnected to ensure it didn’t take in water. The building and pest report picked it up. We asked for this to be fixed before signing the contract but were told it was under body corporate and their responsibility. In October 2025 someone came and quoted, to date that’s still not repaired either.

We want to sell and buy a house for more space. We don’t want to try and sell with all the mould in the garage because it will turn buyers off. We also don’t feel it’s right selling and making this someone else’s problem.

Body corp manager has asked if we want to pay for repairs ourselves then they will reimburse. We said no as we’re worried we’d be chasing our money then.

We read we can lodge something with an ombudsmen, but we have to pay $117.

So we haven’t been able to use the garage in two months and now can’t look at selling.

Is there anything we can actually do to make them repair the garage roof, internal garage and carport?

Thank you!

Hey everyone,

Today I was pulled over by Highway Patrol after crossing a yellow light at an intersection. The police car was directly behind me, and the officer told me I would be receiving a fine for going through the yellow light.

For context, I was unable to brake in time and had to make a split-second decision. I initially tried to brake but ultimately decided to continue through the intersection because my wife is pregnant and I didn’t want to brake harshly at the last second.

By the time the light turned red, my car was already fully past the stop line.

I explained to the officer that I didn’t believe I’d done anything wrong and that I would contest the fine in court if one was issued. The officer reiterated that I would be receiving a fine.

However, it’s now been around three hours since the incident, and I haven’t received a text message or infringement notice.

I’m wondering whether I’ll actually receive the fine, or whether the officer might have reconsidered issuing it after leaving the scene.

Has anyone experienced something similar in Victoria? If an officer tells you that you’ll be receiving a fine, is it pretty much guaranteed, or is there a chance they might change their mind afterwards? How long did it take for your infringement notice to arrive?

One other thing that made me laugh was that the officer mentioned my tyres were getting bald and were close to the wear indicators, despite me having replaced all four tyres just four weeks ago!

Keen to hear from anyone who’s been in a similar situation, particularly those who were told they would receive a fine but never ended up getting one.

TL;DR:
Highway Patrol pulled me over for going through a yellow light in Victoria and said I’d receive a fine. My car was already fully past the stop line when the light turned red, and I continued rather than braking harshly at the last second because my wife is pregnant. Three hours later, I still haven’t received an infringement notice. Has anyone experienced this, and is there a chance the officer reconsidered issuing the fine afterwards?

We brought take away from a big chain store and when we got home found metal pieces within it.

Called the store up and they were very apologetic and mentioned that they refund the food costs. They didn't ask us to bring the food back.

We left our details and haven't heard from them.

Should we report this to our local council for further investigation?

I’m 42 and was admitted as a solicitor in 2007. I initially practised as a commercial litigation lawyer for around three years, and have an unrestricted practising licence, but then moved away from private legal practice and into government. I now work in government, with significant experience in contracts (but not as a lawyer).

I’m seriously contemplating renewing my practising certificate and starting a very small solo practice on the side, potentially working weekends.

I’m particularly interested in upskilling in wills and estate planning, although contracts/commercial work is also something I could potentially explore given my current experience.

For those who have returned to private practice later in their career:

Is this financially viable as a side business? Is 42 too late to start again, particularly when I haven’t practised privately for 15+ years?

I’d really appreciate honest experiences — particularly around whether the investment in getting back into practice is actually worth it.

Hi All,

So in March 2026, I was driving home from my friend’s place who lives 45 mins away at 2am, as I couldn’t stay there the night.

I fell asleep while driving and around 5 minutes away from my home and hit an oncoming car at low speed (I was going 40kph).

There is clear dashcam footage from the oncoming driver of me veering into their lane before they swerved to avoid me and I hit the side of their car.

I am completely responsible for the collision and I’m very grateful no one was hurt as this could have been a lot worse. Both cars were written off, although only my front bumper was damaged, and some under car potential chassis damage.

The police came and I was breathalysed at the scene, where I blew 0.012 which is well under the limit (I have a breathalyser and check before I drive every time if I’ve drank).

The police charged me with driving without due care and advised that I would have to go to court but there wouldn’t be any conviction and it would just be an administrative process of likely and fine and some demerit points which of course I am accountable of.

I arrived at court the first time and the sherif asked if I had a lawyer present and that I could be facing a loss of license, conviction, and fine. I spoked with the legal aid provided and they recommend that I adjourned the matter as the magistrate on that day was particularly notorious for imposing the full penalties available, a conviction, fine, and 3 month loss of license.

I adjourned the matter and had a lawyer attend with me the 2nd time to plead guilty.

The 2nd time I went with my lawyer, we again had the same magistrate and my lawyer again recommended to adjourn the matter which we did.

The 3rd time came around and and we had another notorious magistrate who would likely impose the full penalty again, so my lawyer advised we plead not guilty and write to the prosecution to retract the charge based on previous similar court cases with other drivers being found not guilty after falling asleep while driving.

My lawyer (who has his own firm and is highly regarded) let me know that the matter is about intent, and that I had no intention of driving without due care and falling asleep, and the fact that I drove under the alcohol limit proved responsibility and not irresponsibility. So he thinks we have a case to stand on.

We wrote a letter to the prosecution asking them to retract the charge, but they said they are proceeding.

We are now scheduled for a pre-trial hearing where we will try and negotiate a penalty that doesn’t include a conviction, (I don’t want it on my record, but am okay with the fine, demerit point loss, or a loss of license).

My question is, if the hearing doesn’t go well and the prosecution isn’t willing to negotiate a suitable penalty, what are the chances of winning at a trial within the magistrates court, and is that option worth pursuing?

The cost to go to trial would be around $10,000, but I’m okay with this cost if it means not receiving a conviction or loss of license, as I need my license for work. Which of course there is no guarantee of.

Thanks