Free consumer law site
If you have a legal issue that you need to get your head around, make the FindLaw Australia site your first port of call.
It is a great resource on matters of Australian consumer law, covering the following topics: criminal law (crimes, traffic, police), employment (dismissal, workers’ compensation, workplace), money and estates (finance, tax, power of attorney), immigration, family (divorce, kids), consumer issues (housing, fair-trading), personal injury (slip and fall, negligence, driving) and the Australian legal system (courts, lawyers, legal aid).
All the explanatory articles are written in accessible language by experts in their fields each provides links to further information. And if you’re not sure which area of the law covers your particular problem, you can type a keyword into the search box.
A word of caution, though: if you have a legal problem, as good as this site is at giving you an overview of the relevant laws, you should seek advice from a law professional who can assess your particular situation.
If you don’t have an existing relationship with a lawyer, but need to find legal help, you can search for one here by location and area of the law.
As well as this public area of the FindLaw site, there are separate information areas for legal professionals, students and business.
Gail Lipscombe has worked for some of Australia's hottest tech magazines for over 10 years. In her blog, she focuses on demystifying technology, gadgets and the web for average consumers.