STRAIT to the future
8th Asia-Pacific Specials, Health and Law Librarians Conference
The community, the law and the net
Elizabeth McKibbin and Sue Scott
Keywords: plain English legal guides, internet, community access to the law
Appendix 1 | Appendix 2 | Appendix 3 | Appendix 4 | References
Internet resources for 12 commonly asked questions of the NSW Legal Aid Commission Hotline:
- I've just separated. How do I get a divorce?
How do I get a divorce? Family Court of Australia
http://www.familycourt.gov.au/html/services.html
Marriage breaking down? Law Society of NSW
http://www.lawsocnsw.asn.au/public/rights/marriage.html
Divorce. Law4U
http://www.law4u.com.au
How to oppose a divorce in Australia. Greg Finlayson
http://www.terra.net.au/~reband/divorce.htm - no longer active
What happens when a marriage breaks down? Law Institute of Victoria
http://liv.asn.au/public/general/divorce/divorce-What.html
- I need to get a custody order, how do I get custody?
What about the children? Family Court of Australia
http://www.familycourt.gov.au/html/services.html
Children - when Parents Separate. Women's information referral exchange - Victoria
http://www.vicnet.net.au/~wire/children.html
Family Law: New Terminology. Legal Information Access Centre
http://www.slnsw.gov.au/liac/family/terms.htm
- How to get an AVO order?
Applying for an AVO Order
http://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/lac.nsf/pages/avoapply
Domestic Violence Apprehended Violence Orders. NSW Police
http://www.police.nsw.gov.au/help/menu2/d_violence2.htm
Responding to an Apprehended Violence Order. Legal Aid Commission
http://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/lac.nsf/pages/avodefen
Domestic Violence Kit. Redfern Legal Centre
http://www.rlc.org.au/lawreform/dom_violence/infokit/
- I've been unfairly dismissed - what should I do?
Unfair dismissal. NSW Labor Council
http://www.labor.org.au/about_unions/unfairdismissal.html
Dismissing staff: unfair dismissal. Workplace relations for small business
http://www.dewrsb.gov.au/group_osb/bizlink/worksb/dismiss/dimissal.htm
Legal Aid availability for unfair dismissal
http://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/
- Someone is chasing me for money. What do I do?
Debt - Are You Being Squeezed - Legal Aid Commission
http://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/lac.nsf/pages/debt
Problems with Debt. Law Society of NSW
http://www.lawsocnsw.asn.au/public/rights/debt.html
Harassment by debt collectors. Redfern Legal Centre
http://www.rlc.org.au/factsheets/credit/cd04-HARASSME.html
- Somebody owes me money, how do I get it back
Recovering unpaid debts. Office of the Sherrif
http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au
Someone owes me money and is refusing to pay. What do I do? Law Society of NSW
http://www.lawsocnsw.asn.au/public/rights/debt.html
- I've been charged with drink driving - what do I do?
Are you pleading guilty to a drink driving charge? Legal aid Commission of NSW
http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au
Over .05
http://www.law4u.com.au
Laws and penalties for alcohol. Roads and Traffic Authority (just gives info on penalties)
http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au
Partially answered
- What is the cooling off period under the door to door sales act?
Door to door
http://www.ocba.sa.gov.au/doortodoor.htm
This is South Australia so will not be relevant for NSW but it does indicate the potential for such information to be provided via the web
- Do I have to get probate and how long does it take?
Should I make a will? Law Society of NSW - only partly answers
http://www.lawsocnsw.asn.au/public/rights/will.html
No answers
- My child fell off the playground equipment at school - who's responsibility is it?
- What are my rights in a rented situation - my de facto chucked me out?
- How much am I entitled to - he wants to get a property settlement?
Legal Tool Kit
http://www.slnsw.gov.au/liac/toolkit.htm
The a-z of home purchase, Sydney: the Home Purchase Advisory Authority, 1998 free
http://www.hpaa.nsw.gov.au/thea-zof.htm
The court is open, 4th edition by Reg Bartley, Sydney: Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, 1996
Debtors guide to Local Courts, 2nd edition by the Campbelltown Legal Centre, Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, 1998, free
Defend yourself: facing a charge in Court, NSW edition, Gaby Carney and Tim Anderson, Sydney: Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, 1997
An employee's guide to unfair dismissal, Sydney: Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, 1997
Employment handbook prepared by Workplace Change NSW, NSW Department of Industrial Relations, NSW Government, 1997, free
The law handbook: the easy to use practical guide to the law in NSW, 6th edition, Sydney: Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, 1997
Let's be reasonable: a guide to resolving disputes, Margaret White, Sydney: Choice Books, 1997
The renting guide: your rights and responsibilities as a tenant or landlord , Sydney: NSW Dept of Fair Trading, 1999 free
Rest assured: a legal guide to wills, estates and funerals, revised edition edited by Lynne Spender, Sydney: Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, 1995
Rough deal: your guide to drug laws, Steve Bolt and David Heilpern, Sydney: Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, 1998
Share housing survival guide, Sydney: Redfern Legal Centre Publishing and Sydney University Students' Representative Council, 1996
The tenants rights manual, 2nd edition by Phillipa Bellemore, Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, 1997
Women and family law: when a marriage or de facto relationship breaks down, 6th edition updated Sydney: Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, 1999 free
Working the system: a guide for citizens, consumers and communities by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Sydney: Pluto Press, 1996 ISBN 1864030267
Your body your baby: women's legal rights from conception to birth edited by Terry Libesman and Vani Sripathy, Sydney: Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, 1996
Youth street rights, UTS Community Law and Research Centre and Youth Justice Coalition, 1999
Australian Law on the Internet: a guide
This guide does not attempt to be comprehensive. It lists key gateway sites and sites with substantial content. Use Legalinfo-online (http://www.fl.asn.au/legalinfo/legalinfo.htm), an
e-mail announcement list which announces new sites and developments in online access to legal information in Australia, to keep up to date with new sites.
Case Law and Legislation
AustLII
http://www.austlii.edu.au
AustLII is the largest collection of case law and legislation in Australia. AustLII is also the best site to go to for international law.
Scale Plus
http://scaleplus.law.gov.au
Scale Plus provides access to a large collection of Australian legislation and case law. It is similar to AustLII but not as large. It does, however, provide access to Commonwealth bills and has a search interface, which allows more refined searching
of the material.
Foundation Law
http://www.fl.asn.au
Foundation Law is an excellent starting point for legal research. It provides links to AustLII, Scale Plus, courts, key organisations and primary resources not on AustLII such as bills and legislation produced by the jurisdictions which is often more
up-to-date.
Plain English Law
Links to these resources can be found on Foundation Law at: http://www.fl.asn.au/organisations/#plain
Australia wide
AustLII's links to community legal information
http://www.austlii.edu.au/links/Australia/Community_Legal_Information/
This index, compiled by AustLII, provides links to plain English legal resources in Australia. You can either browse the subject index or search by keyword.
Law4U
http://www.law4u.com.au
Law4U contains plain English resources for Victoria and NSW. Topics include: family; home; cars; immigration; planning; lawyers. There are plans to extend to other states.
Lawstuff
http://www.lawstuff.org.au/
Issues for young people plus an e-mail advice line. Produced by the National Children's and Youth Law
Centre.
Business entry point
http://www.business.gov.au
State and federal business resources, including links to legal resources
Commonwealth
Family Court
http://www.familycourt.gov.au/
New South Wales
Law and Justice, NSW Government
http://www.search.nsw.gov.au/law.asp
This site provides links to a wide range of online legal resources for NSW. The scope of links is broad and includes fact sheets, educational material, courts, sources of referral, legislation and case law. Most of the links are to government sites but
there are also links to community sites, associations and educational sites.
Lawlink, NSW Attorney General's Department
http://www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au
Resources and links include: court information; dealing with crime; rights at work; victims of crime; privacy; people with disabilities; discrimination.
Legal Help, Law Society of NSW
http://www.lawsocnsw.asn.au/legalhelp
Information sheets on a range of issues including wills, families, courts, and using a lawyer.
Legal Information Access Centre database of pamphlets
http://www.slnsw.gov.au/liac
Web links have been added where available for this directory of printed pamphlets about the law in NSW
Queensland
Legal Aid Queensland
http://elo.legalaid.qld.gov.au/
An extensive database of plain English legal resources plus links to other material
South Australia
Legal Services Commission
http://www.lsc.sa.gov.au/
Fact sheets including power of attorney, de facto relationships, wills, debts, bankruptcy, neighbours and the police.
Tasmania
Justice Tasmania
http://www.justice.tas.gov.au/
Fines, guradianship, courts and complaints resolution
Victoria
Getting legal help and legal information, Victorian Legal Aid Commission
http://home.vicnet.net.au/~viclegal/
Contracts, courts, driving, eeo, money, neighbours, police, tenancy, family law, immigration, wills, victims of crime
Know your rights, Law Institute of Victoria
http://liv.asn.au/public/rights/
Children, consumer law, commercial law, crime, debts, family law, adoption, insurance, copyright, lawyers, neighbours, cars, real estate, wills
Tenants Union of Victoria
http://www.tuv.org.au/
Western Australia
Legal Aid Western Australia
http://www.legalaid.wa.gov.au/
Fact sheets in a variety of areas including family law, neighbours, criminal law and motor vehicle accidents
Ministry of Justice
http://www.moj.wa.gov.au/
Fact sheets in a variety of areas including wills, guardianship, victims of crime and the courts
Search engines
Search engines can be useful for finding legal materials on the Internet. Use specific phrases whenever possible. Be careful that the material you find is relevant to the State you live in. You may have more luck if you use an Australian search engine such
as Anzwers http://www.anzwers.com.au
Search engines will bring you resources from a wide range of sources. Anyone can publish on the web. Use the Best practice guidelines for Australian legal web sites http://www.lawfoundation.net.au/lisc/recommend/bpguide.html to help you assess the quality and accuracy of the information.
Referral
Links to these sites can be found on Foundation Law at http://www.fl.asn.au/organisations/#advi
Australia wide
Council of Social Services Directory of Members
http://www.coss.net.au/
Contact details for non-government organisations representing a wide range of interests in the fields of social welfare, health, housing and community services. The directory is searchable by State, name of organisation, type of service and suburb
Australian Community Legal Centres Contact details and homepages
http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/other/clc/index.html
Community Legal Centres provide direct legal advice and assistance to individuals and groups including law reform, test case litigation and community legal education.
Australian Legal Aid Services
http://www.fl.asn.au/organisations/#aid
Links to Legal Aid web sites for the Commonwealth and each State
New South Wales
Free legal advice and assistance, Legal Information Access Centre.
http://www.slnsw.gov.au/liac/refer.htm
A referral guide for NSW searchable by subject and organisation. Includes contact details, a description of the service, and a link to the web page where available. There is also a location guide to community legal centres in NSW.
Community and Family Services Directory
http://www.acwa.asn.au/cfs
Community, health and social welfare agencies which service NSW and the ACT. Contains over 3 700 entries and can be searched by topic, language group, target group and regional area. Includes a large number of organisations, which deal with legal
problems including community legal centres and youth services. Searchable.
Victoria
Community Support Services Database
http://www.infoxchange.net.au/db/
These databases contain details on 30 823 support services and agencies. There are a number of search methods including by agency name, by service name or by keyword selection.
Queensland
Queensland Legal Aid database
http://elo.legalaid.qld.gov.au/
Select the Organisations link from this page for a searchable database of advice and referral organisations in Queensland. Can search by geographical area
Australian Family Law and Practice. Sydney: CCH,. Australia (Looseleaf).
Beamish, R. "Citizens' Electronic Inquiries Get Governments' Attention" The New York Times, May 20, 1999, D8 http://www.nytimes.com (last accessed 1 June 1999)
Huth, E. 1989, 'The underused medical literature', Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 110, No. 2, pp.99-100.
Gerstberger, P. and Allen, T. 1968, 'Criteria used by research and development engineers in the selection of an information source', Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 52, August, pp. 272-79.
Law via the Internet 99 Conference, Austlii, University of Technology, Sydney
Questions You Should Ask Your Lawyer. Sydney: Legal Aid New South Wales, [1998]
The Renting Guide: Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Tenant or Landlord. Sydney: Department Fair Trading, 1999.
Women and Family Law. 6th ed. Sydney: Women's Legal Resource Centre and Redfern Legal Centre Publishing, 1999.
|
