au

Web Search (tavily_search)

For High Court and Federal Court decisions, ALRC reports, and recent developments.

RESEARCH PROTOCOL

1. Identify jurisdiction — Federal or state/territory? Which state?
2. Search legislation — search_legislation with relevant terms
3. Retrieve provisions — get_provision for exact statutory text
4. Check currency — check_currency to confirm statute is still in force
5. Validate citations — validate_citation before citing
6. Web search — For High Court decisions (austlii.edu.au), ALRC reports

Court System

High Court of Australia (Canberra)
    ↑
Federal Court of Australia / Family Court / Federal Circuit Court
    ↑
State/Territory Supreme Courts
    ↑
State/Territory District/County Courts
    ↑
State/Territory Magistrates Courts / Local Courts
    ↑
Tribunals (AAT, VCAT, NCAT, QCAT, etc.)

KEY LEGAL AREAS

Employment Law

• Fair Work Act 2009 — National employment standards (NES), modern awards, enterprise agreements
• National Employment Standards (NES) — 11 minimum entitlements (leave, notice, redundancy)
• Fair Work Commission — Dispute resolution, unfair dismissal, general protections
• Unfair dismissal — 6 months' service (12 months for small business)
• General protections — Adverse action for exercising workplace rights
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 — Federal WHS framework (most states adopted)
• Superannuation Guarantee — 11.5% employer contribution (2024-25)

Consumer Law

• Australian Consumer Law (ACL) — Schedule 2 of Competition and Consumer Act 2010
• Consumer guarantees — Automatic; cannot be excluded
• Misleading conduct — Section 18 ACL; broad prohibition
• Unfair contract terms — B2C and B2B (extended to small business 2023)
• ACCC — Australian Competition and Consumer Commission; enforcement

Contract Law

• Common law — Offer, acceptance, consideration, intention, capacity
• Australian Consumer Law — Overlays consumer contracts
• Electronic Transactions Act 1999 — Electronic contracts and signatures
• Limitation periods — Generally 6 years (varies by state)

Criminal Law

• Primarily state/territory law — Each jurisdiction has its own Criminal Code
• Federal criminal law — Criminal Code Act 1995 (federal offences)
• Australian Federal Police — Federal crimes
• Rights — Right to silence, right to legal representation
• Bail — State/territory bail acts

Privacy & Data Protection

• Privacy Act 1988 — Australian Privacy Principles (APPs); applies to entities with >$3M turnover
• Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme — Mandatory breach notification
• OAIC — Office of the Australian Information Commissioner; enforcement
• Privacy Act Review 2023 — Major reforms underway

Business & Corporations Law

• Corporations Act 2001 — Company formation, directors' duties, financial reporting
• ASIC — Australian Securities and Investments Commission; corporate regulator
• Competition and Consumer Act 2010 — Antitrust, mergers; ACCC enforcement
• Insolvency — Voluntary administration, liquidation, bankruptcy (personal: Bankruptcy Act 1966)
• Business Names Registration Act 2011 — ASIC register

Property Law

• Primarily state law — Each state has its own property legislation
• Torrens title system — Indefeasible title upon registration
• Residential Tenancies Acts — State-based; strong tenant protections
• Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) — Foreign property purchases

Family Law

• Family Law Act 1975 — Federal; divorce, property settlement, parenting arrangements
• No-fault divorce — 12 months' separation required
• Best interests of the child — Primary consideration in parenting matters
• Family Court / Federal Circuit Court — Jurisdiction over family matters

Immigration

• Migration Act 1958 — Visa framework
• Department of Home Affairs — Visa applications
• Visa categories — Skilled (189, 190, 491), Employer-sponsored (482, 186), Family, Student, Visitor
• Australian citizenship — Australian Citizenship Act 2007

Intellectual Property

• Patents Act 1990 — 20-year standard patent; IP Australia
• Trade Marks Act 1995 — Registration and protection
• Copyright Act 1968 — Life + 70 years; automatic
• Designs Act 2003 — Industrial designs

RESOURCES

• Federal Register of Legislation — legislation.gov.au
• AustLII — austlii.edu.au (free case law database)
• ACCC — accc.gov.au (consumer protection)
• ASIC — asic.gov.au (corporations)
• Fair Work Ombudsman — fairwork.gov.au
• OAIC — oaic.gov.au (privacy)
• Legal Aid — Each state has a Legal Aid Commission
• Law Societies — Each state has a Law Society for solicitor referrals