Plain-English notes on Queensland law.
Articles on personal injury, drink driving, family, property, criminal and conveyancing matters in Queensland. We update them when the law changes.
Colagrande v Kim: when anonymity aggravates a defamatory review
A single anonymous review, four lines long, sat on a doctor rating site for close to three years. In Colagrande v Kim [2022] FCA...
The King v Ko: the direction that must follow a real or significant chance
A jury in the District Court of New South Wales was told that if it was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that the accused perceived...
Huang v Body Corporate for the Dorchester: when a BCCM adjudicator is a tribunal, not a public entity
A lot owner persuaded the Court of Appeal that the tribunal below had made an error. He lost the appeal anyway. The finding that...
Pre-existing conditions and WorkCover in Queensland: how aggravation claims work
Most people who work for a living arrive at middle age with something already wrong. A disc that has been quietly wearing since their...
Sawtell v State of Queensland: separate injuries need separate gateways
A consequential psychiatric injury can emerge after the workers' compensation paperwork has fixed its attention on a physical injury. By then, the claim may...
Binding financial agreement or consent orders: which one finalises a property split?
Separating is one thing. Making the division of property final is another. Until an agreement is put into a form the law recognises, either...
TPD claims through superannuation in Queensland: how the process works
Many working Queenslanders hold total and permanent disability cover without ever choosing it. It arrives attached to a superannuation account, is paid for out...
Dennison v Brisbane City Council: the reach of section 36
A public authority can fail the ordinary negligence test and still fall short of the statutory standard that controls liability. That is not an...
RNT v QPS: pre-sentence custody and the Magistrates Court limit
A magistrate reaches the three-year ceiling and considers that crediting time already spent in custody would make the sentence inadequate. The familiar response is...
Lise v Boulton: discharged adoption and family provision eligibility
When an executor sees an adoption order on the file, the eligibility question usually looks closed. Lise v Boulton [2026] QSC 176 is the...
Brades Property: the weight of a satisfaction clause
The seller’s agent said the land “will be subdivided into 15 lots”. Twenty days later, the parties signed a $2,200,000 contract. Three short special...
CEE v CNH (No 2): proving necessary or desirable protection
One protection-order application produced two dismissals in the Magistrates Court, two appeals to the District Court and one remitter for a new hearing. That...
SHRL Ventures Pty Ltd v Pedro-X Pty Ltd: repudiation, pressured exits and oppression
When a joint venturer calls a meeting to stop six weeks of bullying and leaves having agreed to sell, the resulting handshake is not...
Boubaris v Commissioner of Police: disqualified driving as defiance of the court
When a client says the driving was ordinary, sober and safe, the submission may sound like useful traffic mitigation. On a charge of driving...
R v Ford: the three-year line between parole release and eligibility
When a sentence may cross three years, counsel needs to address more than the total term. That threshold changes the kind of parole date...
Novadeck Pty Ltd v CK & PT Property Holdings Pty Ltd: why an EFT instruction did not pay the deposit
A buyer sends an EFT instruction in the morning. The bank marks the request completed. The buyer's solicitor then makes the contract unconditional. But...
Injured as a labour hire worker in Queensland: who is responsible?
Labour hire is ordinary in Queensland construction, manufacturing, transport and health. You sign on with an agency, it places you at another business, and...
WorkCover Queensland v CRG Harvesting Pty Ltd: When paperwork does not make a director
Family farming companies often run on trust, habit and paperwork prepared by an accountant. A machinery operator may attend the annual meeting, sign wherever...
Barbina v McKenzie: conflicting medical evidence and the rule in Browne v Dunn
When two medical witnesses disagree at trial and nothing has been done beforehand to narrow the difference, the party who cross-examines the other side's...
Do you need probate in Queensland? What actually decides it
Probate is usually described as something an estate has to go through, a toll gate between a death and the money. It is not...
E-scooter and e-bike injuries in Queensland: where CTP stops and what cover remains
Electric scooters and e-bikes have become part of everyday travel in Queensland, and nowhere more so than on the Gold Coast. When e-scooter and...
Hit by a car as a pedestrian in Queensland: rights, fault and time limits
A pedestrian hit by a car in Queensland is usually dealt with through the compulsory third party (CTP) insurance scheme that stands behind every...
Queensland Fines Rose on 1 July 2026: The New Penalty Unit Value
On 1 July 2026 the value of a Queensland penalty unit rose from $166.90 to $172.70. Most fines in Queensland are not written into...
The Form 2 Seller Disclosure Statement in Queensland: What It Covers and When a Buyer Can Terminate
Since 1 August 2025, a Queensland seller disclosure statement, known as the Form 2, has been compulsory: the seller must give the buyer the...
Injured travelling to or from work: how Queensland journey claims work
Most people assume workers' compensation only covers injuries that happen at work. In Queensland the cover can reach further than the workplace. An injury...
Motorcycle Accident Claims in Queensland: Fault, Lane Filtering and the Gear Myth
A motorcyclist has none of the crumple zones, airbags or steel cage that protect people in cars, so a collision that dents a car...
Property Settlement in Queensland: The Four-Step Framework and the 2025 Changes
A property settlement in Queensland is the process of dividing the assets and debts of a couple after they separate. It is worked out...
Psychological injury WorkCover claims in Queensland: what counts and the management action exclusion
Psychological injuries are among the more complex WorkCover claims in Queensland, and among the most misunderstood. The rules that decide them sit mostly in...
Hit and run in Queensland: how Nominal Defendant claims work
A driver runs a red light, clips your car and is gone before you can note the plate. A cyclist is knocked down by...
Personal Injury Law in Queensland: Categories and Time Limits
After an injury, one of the first questions people ask is whether the law gives them any rights at all. It is a sensible...
How Personal Injury Costs Work in Queensland
No win, no fee is one of the most familiar phrases in personal injury law and one of the least understood. It is a...
What Does a Divorce and Property Settlement Cost in Queensland?
The short version 01Divorce and property settlement are separate. The divorce ends the marriage; the property settlement divides the assets. They have different processes...
How Much Does a Will Cost in Queensland?
The short version 01The cost of a will depends on complexity. A simple will is inexpensive; a will involving blended families, trusts or business...
How Much Does Conveyancing Cost on the Gold Coast?
The short version 01A conveyancing quote has two parts: the professional fee for the legal work, and disbursements, which are government charges and search...
Should you accept your WorkCover lump sum offer?
Quick answer: A Notice of Assessment is WorkCover’s formal statement of how badly your work injury has impaired you and, if you qualify, an...
WorkCover vs common law in Queensland: the 20% impairment decision
Quick answer: In Queensland, an injured worker may have two very different claims: a statutory WorkCover claim (no-fault benefits) and a common-law claim (damages,...
WorkCover claims in Queensland: the complete guide
Quick answer. WorkCover is Queensland’s statutory, no-fault workers’ compensation scheme: if you are injured at work you can claim benefits without having to prove...
CTP claim time limits in Queensland
Quick answer: In most Queensland motor accident claims you must give a written Notice of Accident Claim to the CTP insurer within 9 months...
Owning Property With Someone Else in Queensland: Joint Tenants, Tenants in Common, and Disputes
The short version 01Joint tenants hold the property together. If one dies, the survivor automatically takes the whole property, regardless of any will. 02Tenants...
When Does Your Business Actually Need a Lawyer to Review a Contract?
The short version 01You almost certainly need a review if the contract is long-term, high-value, contains a personal guarantee, or was drafted by the...
Separating in Queensland: Do You Have to Go to Court to Divide Property?
The short version 01Court is the last resort, not the default. Most property matters settle by consent orders or a private financial agreement. 02There...
Do I Need a Solicitor to Buy a House in Queensland?
The short version 01Queensland has no separate licenced conveyancer profession. Paid conveyancing is legal work performed by a solicitor, or done by yourself at...
Do I Need a Will? What Happens in Queensland If You Die Without One
The short version 01Die without a will and you die “intestate”. A fixed statutory formula, not your family, decides who inherits. 02A surviving husband,...
CTP claims in Queensland: the complete guide
Quick answer: A CTP (compulsory third party) claim is how an injured person seeks compensation after a Queensland motor vehicle accident, made against the...
Queensland’s Dangerous Driving: What the Latest Amendments Mean
Many people do not realise that posting footage of dangerous driving on social media is now a separate criminal offence. Queensland's dangerous driving laws...
Can Your Lender Refuse to Release Your Mortgage?
A lender cannot hold your property hostage by demanding you sign a Deed of Release that goes beyond what your mortgage allows. A Queensland...
High-Range Drink Driving: How Police Prove the Driving and Use Scene Admissions
High-range drink driving in a night precinct: a first-offence matter resolved with a six-month ban and no recorded conviction. The entertainment precincts along the...
High-Range Drink Driving in an Airport Car Park: How Section 79 Applies
High-range drink driving in an airport car park: a first-offence matter resolved without a recorded conviction. Car parks are not public roads, but they...
Queensland Expands Adult Sentencing to Youth – Implications for Justice and Community
Queensland's adult sentencing laws for young offenders: what the reforms actually did. For most of Queensland's legal history, a child who committed a serious...
Getting Your Licence Back After Disqualification in Queensland
Losing your licence can turn everyday life upside down, especially if you rely on driving for work or family commitments. Depending on why you...
Drink Driving Charges on the Gold Coast: What Happens
A drink driving charge on the Gold Coast usually starts on the side of the road and ends in a courtroom at Southport. What...
Is DUI a Criminal Offence in Australia?
The short answer Yes. Driving under the influence (DUI) is a criminal offence in every Australian state and territory, and Queensland is no exception....
Can you go to jail for a DUI on the Gold Coast?
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is: it depends on several things the court weighs carefully. Imprisonment for drink driving in Queensland...
How Social Media Can Impact Your Personal Injury Claim: Dos and Don’ts
Social media posts do not stay on social media. In a Queensland personal injury claim, the evidence that matters is not confined to medical...
Motor Vehicle Accidents in Queensland: Important Legal and Insurance Considerations
Two entirely different insurance systems respond to a motor vehicle accident in Queensland. Most people involved in a serious motor vehicle accident discover, often...
Slip and Fall Accidents: Common Causes, Injuries, and How to Establish Liability
A slip and fall claim is not simply about the fall itself. The fact that someone slipped on a wet floor and was injured...
Workplace Accidents and Workers’ Compensation (WorkCover) Claims in Queensland: What You Need to Know
Two separate systems apply when a worker is injured in Queensland. A workplace injury in Queensland triggers two distinct legal frameworks that run in...
The Role of Negligence in Queensland Personal Injury Cases: Types and Examples
Negligence is not a single idea. It is four separate questions. Many, but not all, Queensland personal injury claims rest on negligence. Some entitlements...
Understanding the Personal Injury Claim Process in Queensland: A Step-by-Step Guide
The process is more structured than most people expect. Queensland personal injury law runs on a statutory framework that predates any court filing by...
Motor Dealers Winding Back Speedometers in Queensland: The Role of the Office of Fair Trading
Odometer fraud in Queensland: the law, the regulators, and what buyers can do. A car with 80,000 kilometres on the clock is worth more...
New QLD Offence of Coercive Control
Queensland now has a standalone coercive control offence. Here is what it means. On 26 May 2025, coercive control became a criminal offence in...
Claim Farming Defeated? Brisbane Magistrate Fines Liquidated Firm $1 Million
Queensland's first successful claim farming prosecution: what the $1 million fine means. On 7 February 2023, a Brisbane Magistrate convicted Accident Management Solutions Pty...
Double Demerits in QLD
Queensland double demerits are not a holiday scheme. Every year, around long weekends and school holidays, social media fills with warnings to drive carefully...
What Are the Legal Consequences For Refusing a Breath Test?
Refusing a breath test is almost never the better option. People do it for all sorts of reasons. Some panic. Some think it will...
New laws proposed to double the monitoring time of child sex offenders in Queensland
Queensland's child sex offender monitoring regime, and what the 2023 amendments changed. The law governing what happens to serious sexual offenders after their custodial...