My grandparent passed away about 4 years ago and the estate still hasn’t been finalised.
The executor is my step aunt.

The main asset is a house that still hasn’t been sold despite years of updates saying it would be listed “soon”. Every six months it’s been a different ‘reason’ for the delay.

I’ve asked for an accounting of the estate and haven’t really gotten anywhere. There are also issues around jewellery that was specifically left to me and my sister (by name) in the will, my aunt told me she distributed it to various members of her own family and used the words “as promised” and “grandma was sneaky and promised it elsewhere” this happened before I obtained a copy of the will - which she was not forthcoming with (now I know why)

Before filing anything I wrote to the executor asking for an accounting and giving her an opportunity to respond. Her response was just nasty gaslighting re jewellery and more fictional dates of when the house will be listed

I’ve now filed an application in the Supreme Court of South Australia asking the Court mostly due to the delay (4 years since probate was granted) as I feel the estate warrants oversight.

My grandma also kept a large cash stash, which I have no doubts will be missing from her “inventory”

Taking a family member to court isn’t something I ever wanted to do.
From a legal point of view, does this sound like a reasonable step after four years? Or is this something people would generally be expected to just keep waiting on?

Thanks in advance

Just looking for some general advice, I'm waiting for a response from the builder right now after emailing the photos.

In short, we live in a 2024-built community corp lot with 6 other houses and a shared common driveway that runs in a straight line across the front of all of our houses, with a fence on the opposite side that backs on to another street that runs parallel to our driveway. Those houses face away from ours.

One of those houses was recently sold and demolished, and during the day today the builder's workers took it upon themselves to remove about 18.5m of fencing from the boundary between our houses and the construction sites.

They've made an incredibly large mess with mud and rusty fasteners left all over the common driveway on our common property, we (the strata and all of the owners) have received no notification about any fencing works to be done, and no requests for access from our side. In the process of taking down the fence they've dug up and destroyed a bunch of irrigation hoses and electrical wiring (not live thankfully) that was installed during development to support plants and lights and such along the fence line, and they've not installed any temporary fencing, meaning the front of our house is now totally exposed to the street on the opposite side.

As I said I've already emailed the builder with a big WTF and a bunch of photos, but what other recourse do we have here? I can't post photos but the place now looks absolutely atrocious, they've made a huge mess of our common property with mud and dirt and debris everywhere, destroyed thousands of dollars of landscaping, and the fence panels that they removed (corrugated iron) look like they've been completely stuffed in the process. They're just lying on the ground on their side at the moment with rocks sitting on top.

What's usually the process here? Aren't we supposed to be informed and consulted before anything like this occurs? Are the builders obligated to install temporary fencing in the short term? If they've damaged the fence during takedown, will they be obligated to install and cover costs for a new one seeing as we never agreed to it being taken down in the first place? What about the damage that's been caused?

We're not yet clear on why they removed the fence - if it's for access they're in for a rude shock because our common driveway is barely one car wide and obviously private property.

EDIT: Photos in comments

EDIT 2: Yes, the fence was absolutely shit and I'm glad to see it taken down *IF* the builders explain themselves, clean up after themselves, put up temporary fencing ASAP, reinstate *A* fence (wouldn't take much to improve on that POS) and make good on the damage they've done.

I was a casual employee. After I followed up , by email about wages I was owed, my employer suddenly claimed there was “suspicious activity” caught on office CCTV and that they wanted to discuss it in person before “reporting to the appropriate authorities.” This was the first I’d heard of any issue, despite the footage apparently being from a while before I even raised the pay issue.

I resigned in writing shortly after, made clear I wanted my unpaid wages processed separately from whatever this “concern” was, and handed back full access to everything (accounts, files, etc).

Since then I’ve had accusatory messages accusing me of taking something, being told to come in person “or I’ll take official action,” and some pretty ugly language thrown at me. I’ve denied it clearly and consistently, in writing, every time. I’ve now blocked them.

The footage being referenced shows nothing more than ordinary, explainable actions — nothing that shows taking anything.

Hasn’t gone anywhere formally yet, but I’m stressed about the possibility of a police report and not sure what to expect if that happens. Anyone been through something similar — an employer using a vague “investigation” as pressure after being asked for owed wages? Fairly new in Australia

Another great report from Ben Smee who has covered a lot of QLD police/gov failings towards DV.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/jul/21/the-queensland-government-promised-to-put-victims-first-instead-it-buried-a-report-from-domestic-violence-survivors

Looking for some practical advice on where this sits legally and what the right next move is.

On 30 June I ordered a PS5 Pro from Target's website for $1,299. The order went through, and the next day I received an official Order Confirmation and Tax Invoice. About 20 minutes later, I got a second email saying the order was cancelled due to no stock.

I told Target I was happy to wait for stock rather than cancel outright. Heard nothing for over a week, so on 9 July I asked for a refund instead. Target agreed and said it would land in my account in 3-5 business days.

Worth noting, around 19 July the same PS5 Pro came back in stock on Target's website, but this time at the full RRP of $1,398, roughly $100 more than what I'd paid. So it looks like they may not have been genuinely out of stock so much as unwilling to honour the $1,299 price once it went back on sale at a higher price. That's part of why I'm sceptical of anything they tell me at this point.

After the refund was agreed on 9 July, things started going in circles. On 14 July they contacted me saying there was a problem with my bank details, even though I'd already verified everything with them by phone on the 9th. I gave my details again and asked for written confirmation, which came back with a new timeframe of 5-7 business days. Still nothing. When I chased it up again this week, I was told the refund was actually sent on 13 July and would take 3-10 business days. I pointed out the obvious problem: if it was sent on the 13th, why was I asked to re-verify my bank details on the 14th? Their answer now is that the 13 July transfer failed, so they reinitiated it on the 14th, and I need to wait another 5-10 business days.

At no point have they been able to provide a remittance advice or any proof that a transfer has actually been made.

I've already lodged a complaint with Consumer Affairs Victoria. They looked into it and told me Target's conduct likely breaches several sections of the ACL (misleading conduct, false representations about availability, and accepting payment for goods they couldn't supply), but CAV's role is limited to conciliation, and they've said if Target keeps stalling, VCAT is the next step. I've sent Target multiple emails referencing this, including a final notice with a deadline, and they've continued to just push the timeline back each time.

At this point I have zero confidence Target will actually pay this back without further pressure, and every deadline they give me turns out to be another story.

A few questions:

1. At what point does it make sense to actually file with VCAT, rather than keep giving them more days? Is there a minimum number of follow-ups or time period expected before VCAT will take a case seriously, or can I file now given the pattern of behaviour?

2. Has anyone actually gone through VCAT for something like this? How long does it typically take from filing to an outcome, and is it worth the time/cost for an amount like this ($1,299)?

3. Does the fact that the item reappeared at a higher price shortly after change anything legally, e.g. in terms of misleading conduct or bait pricing, or is that more of a moral point than a legal one?

4. Should I be documenting anything specific going forward (e.g. call recordings, specific wording from staff) to strengthen a VCAT claim, given they still haven't provided any remittance advice? I already have all emails with their "refund time frame".

Appreciate any insight from people who've dealt with something similar, or anyone with direct experience taking a retailer to VCAT over a refund dispute.

I resigned from my sales role (Commercial Sales Award, NSW) via email, giving one week’s written notice, and in the same email requested that my notice period be covered by my existing annual leave due to a family bereavement. My employer replied acknowledging my resignation and referred to it directly as my “annual leave request,” confirming HR would follow up on arrangements — with no objection or query raised at the time.

Weeks later, when I raised a separate payslip error (an incorrect hours split, I worked 30.4 not 22.4), my employer responded by applying a full one week’s wage deduction under the Commercial Sales Award for “not working the notice period” despite having accepted my annual leave request without objection at the time.

The deduction has been applied by directly offsetting it against my actual hours worked, resulting in a negative wage line for days I physically worked, and my total annual leave payout also appears to fall short of my correct accrued balance by several hundred dollars.

This doesn’t seem right to me, if the annual leave request isn’t declined in writing or even discussed, then haven’t I technically ‘worked’ the annual leave period and no deduction should apply? If not then my understanding is that you can’t deduct what didn’t happen e.g. only 30.4 can be deleted and not an extra 7.6

Have included the original payslip that I queried (was queried because 30.4 hours were worked) and then the updated payslip that was sent and the email email he used to justify

Email:

Thank you for bringing the discrepancy in your leave balance to our attention.
Following a review of your final pay, we identified that an adjustment was required. In accordance with the Commercial Sales Award, as the required one week's notice period was not worked, a deduction equivalent to one week's wages has been applied in lieu of notice.
Your final pay has now been recalculated and includes:
• Payment for four days worked (Monday 6 July to Thursday 9 July)
• Payment of all accrued annual leave owing
• A deduction equivalent to one week's wages in lieu of the required notice period
Please find your updated final payslip attached.
Your final payment will be processed and paid in full by close of business Friday.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Kind regards,

Hi everyone,

I tried to tell the cops about my ex-partner and his friend stalking me, along with some threats. Apparently, my ex-partner made some serious allegations about me. The cop dismissed my concerns and stated that he was going to arrest me because of the severity of the allegations.

I was wondering what usually happens? I've just given up hope, as I have been dealing with the stalking for months now and have reported it to the General Police Line. Turns out for my concerns to be recorded, I needed to make a written statement in the Police Station. I called my local Police Station and they said they dont know why he used the word arrest, and that I have been only flagged in the system to be asked questions. They also questioned why the SC wanted to directly interview me.

I am really nervous as my ex-partner threatened to deport me and it seems like becoming a reality.

tl;dr: How can I prepare myself to be arrested? When is the best time to go into a police station?

Hey all, I’m about to start with FDM Group in Australia (Software Engineering stream) and I’m trying to get a realistic picture before I commit fully.

I know the contract has the whole “up to $15k Coaching Fee” clause if you leave before the 2-year mark, reducing at 12 and 18 months. I’ve read through it and understand the legal theory (liquidated damages vs penalty clause etc), but I’m curious if anyone here has actually lived it in Australia specifically.

A few questions if anyone’s willing to share:

Did you (or anyone you know) leave before the 1-2 year mark in AU?

Did they actually chase you for the fee, or did it get waived/negotiated/ignored?

This might be a silly question, but can anyone advise why my police check is taking so long?

Police check submitted by my new workplace on Monday at around 12pm. It was submitted alongside someone else’s, and theirs was received that afternoon. Mine is still processing.

I’d convinced myself that I had a secret criminal conviction that I didn’t know about and worked myself into such a state (thanks anxiety!) so I ended up submitting my own check to see what was going on. This was submitted on the same day, approx 8 hours later. That check also got flagged for manual review.

I received the results of the check I submitted the next day, at around 10am. All clear, which was what I expected. (I know submitting my own was silly, but sometimes when you’re having a bit of a nervous breakdown, you have to do what you have to do!!)

But my new workplace still hasn’t heard back and the clock is ticking to my commencement date. I know there’s not much I can do, but I would love to know if anyone else has been in this position and when their check was received. If it takes a full 15 business days, that will be 5 business days after I was supposed to commence.

Have parents based the UK who’d like a trust account set up here in Australia for my two children so they can contribute to this regularly.

Any tips on how to proceed? No idea on trusts at all or where to start.

Hi everyone

I’m 28, and currently studying a Graduate Entry Bachelor of Laws while working full-time.
I already have a Bachelor of Criminology and several years of professional experience in recruitment and case management.
While I’m enjoying law, I can’t shake the feeling that I’m starting from scratch while everyone else seems to be progressing in their careers.

I’m trying to work out the smartest path forward. Should I stay in my current role until I graduate, try to get into a legal assistant or paralegal role early, focus on networking, or do something else entirely?

For anyone who started law later in life or works in the legal industry, what would you do if you were in my position?
I’d really appreciate any practical advice. Thanks!

In March 2026,

I hired a driver (through a personal referral) to assist with moving. After the move was completed and payment had been made, the driver damaged the building’s roller shutter while leaving the property. The driver was operating the vehicle at the time of the incident. I was not present there when it happened and was in the loading lift going up.

The Owners Corporation (building corporation) owns the roller shutter and is now seeking payment from me for the repair costs.

At the time of the incident, building management attended, obtained the driver’s details and licence information.

I did not sign any agreement, move-in/move-out form, indemnity, or document accepting responsibility for damage caused by the driver. I was also not notified that the Owners Corporation had determined liability against me, that repair works had been approved, or that additional invoices had been issued. I only became aware of these costs later through my property agent.

The OC did repairs and never issued any invoices to me until i was moving out and this was brought up by the property agent once I had moved out. My bond is stuck, the driver won’t accept responsibility, and I am stuck with 3 invoices amounting to 5.5-7K

While I assume, I am maybe liable as a tenant? but I fail to understand how the driver can get away scot-free and does not have to deal with this. The OC continues to ask us and refuses to deal with the driver at all.

What can I do in this situation? any leads or advice would be really appreciated. Thank you.

I

I just got a written warning from my work. It states that I failed to report or clean up a mess left over from the workers from the shift before mine. There was no explanation what the mess was or where it was. I have never had a written warning before and I am wondering what I do next. Hopefully someone can help me.
Thanks
Update I forgot to mention I was on night shift when I got the letter. I was really upset by it because it implied I was being neglectful of my duties and broke the government values that involve my work. Rang the manager and she said ‘ don’t worry I sent that out to a lot of people. It wasn’t part of your duties to clean that part of the work space. I got the letter because I didn’t report others not doing their job. I explained I didn’t see the mess. This letter that was sent out should have been an email. I am not in any trouble. I would never neglect my duties or the people I care for. Going forward I will be very cautious with any correspondence from work. Thank you everyone for the advice and the piece of mind you gave me. Have a great night/ week.
Thank you

Does this email make sense based on a final leave situation and a 38 hour deduction (for not serving notice) being placed by deleting hours worked off a payslip (e.g. instead of 30.4 hours worked with a seperate line deducting, they’ve just deleted the hours worked and put -7.6 to make the 38)

If this is hard to understand and you can help me please inbox me and I can give you the full context.

Hi XXXX,

Thank you for sending through the updated payslip. Having gone through it carefully, I don’t believe the notice period deduction applies in my circumstances, and separately, I don’t believe the payslip itself has been prepared correctly. I’ve set out both issues below.

1.  The deduction shouldn’t apply

The Wednesday and Thursday of my notice period had already been approved as annual leave the week before, for my grandad’s funeral - before my resignation even occurred. Those two days were never going to be worked regardless of my resignation, so they can’t reasonably be counted as “notice not worked.”

Separately, in my resignation email I gave the full one week’s notice required, and I explicitly requested that the remainder of the notice period be covered by annual leave. Your reply acknowledged my resignation and referred to it directly as my “annual leave request,” confirming Beth would follow up on arrangements. At no point was this queried or declined, and it was processed accordingly. Under clause 29.1(e) of the Commercial Sales Award, if an employer has agreed to a shorter period of notice than required under clause 29.1(b), no deduction can be made under clause 29.1(d). Given the request was acknowledged and processed without objection, that agreement was clearly given, and the deduction shouldn’t apply at all.

2.  Even if a deduction did apply, this payslip doesn’t reflect it correctly, and doesn’t appear to comply with payslip requirements:

Going through the figures, the payslip doesn’t add up and doesn’t appear to meet basic Fair Work requirements:

• Ordinary hours worked shows as -7.6, with a corresponding negative wage figure of ($250.00). I worked 30.4 hours that period - this should be shown as a positive figure. A deduction, if valid, is meant to be applied to wages due (clause 29.1(d)) - it shouldn’t be netted directly against actual hours worked in a way that drives them negative. Under Fair Work Regulations 2009 (reg 3.46), a payslip must show the ordinary hourly rate and the actual number of hours worked at that rate, and any deduction must be itemised separately with an explanation of how it was calculated. Neither is reflected here - the deduction has just been buried inside the ordinary hours line.

• Leave accrual for this period shows as -0.5846 hours. I worked 30.4 hours that period, so my leave accrual should be a positive figure of approximately 2.34 hours (30.4 hours x 4/52 weeks), regardless of any wage deduction. The -0.5846 figure only makes sense if it’s been calculated off the net -7.6 “Ordinary Hours” figure created by the deduction, rather than my actual hours worked. Leave accrual is a statutory entitlement tied to hours actually worked (NES s.87) and shouldn’t be affected by a separate wage deduction under clause 29.1(d), which only authorises a deduction from wages - not an adjustment to leave accrual.

Taken together, this payslip doesn’t read as a straightforward deduction applied to an otherwise correct pay run - it reads as though the deduction has been applied across both my worked hours and my leave accrual at once, which isn’t compliant with how deductions are meant to be itemised under the Fair Work Regulations, and doesn’t reflect my actual hours worked or leave entitlements.

Given all of the above, I’d like to request that:

1.  The notice period deduction be removed in full, per clause 29.1(e); and

2.  My final pay be recalculated from scratch, showing my ordinary hours worked, annual leave accrued and taken, remaining leave balance, and any deduction (if applicable) as separate, correctly itemised line items.

I’d appreciate this being corrected as soon as possible, given the fair works 7 day guidelines.

Thanks,

I recently moved into a property I have purchased in Western Suburbs of Melbourne.

The settlement for the house was 21st April, but I moved in a few days beforehand under license (or whatever it’s called) around the 16th April. I had arranged for my own utilities to be connected from the 16th.

I have been getting letters from Engie (assuming they were the previous supplier) for an unpaid gas bill for the month before I moved in (billing period ending 19th April). The bills are address simply to the occupier.

I have no intention of paying this bill as it is not mine, and I think Engie have just done a rubbish job of getting payment from their previous customer and are sending semi threatening letters in the hope of getting that money back.

However, the bill is threatening debt collection agencies get involved if it is not paid. (The bill is only for $58 so I would be surprised if they follow through with this).

My question is could I be seen a legally liable for this bill as I am the current owner of this address? And, if they did get a debt collection agency involved would it have any impact on my credit score even though the debt is not mine, but it occurred at my address?

I have not contacted them yet as I don’t particularly want to deal with them and happy to ignore it. But I don’t want it to become a bigger problem.

Hoping this is a quick and easy one.
Basically, 3yo work vehicle 90,000km on the odometer is needing a new engine due to a manufacturing fault.
Car is currently at the selling dealer to which they have said the car will be off road for 2-4 weeks whilst they get the part that is on back order and complete the repairs.

I work in a trade so I use my car for travel all day 5+ days a week. So being without my car I will suffer a loss.

Upon requesting a replacement vehicle during this time they are able to but will be charging $50 a day, I could understand if it was work I had decided to have done by consumer choice but given this has been deemed a manufacturer fault I feel this charge is excessive given the wait time also. I have disputed the fee but they are adamant on this.

Are they able to charge this fee given the circumstances?

I was hired for a job in May, but I didn’t start until late June right before the EOFY (28th). I had to get both a working with children check and NDIS screening check, but I paid for these before officially starting the role (as I obviously needed to do them before starting since they can take some time to come back).

So, since I started on the 28th I didn’t get my first payslip until after the EOFY, so can i claim it on tax next year if not this year ?

So I rented a car for 4 weeks and paid the bond which was 2 weeks of rent at the start. The bond amount is 440 dollars. I returned the car last Thursday and the guy still hasn't given my bond back, I message him and call him but he's ignoring me.

What can I do?

So I was staying in a hostel and there was a sign in the kitchen which said you have to wash your dishes, dry them and put them away, otherwise you would be charged $20. It got me thinking what is the actual legality of them charging this? Is it because when you check in you sign a contract saying that you accept that you could be charged this? (I didn't read the contract anyway I was lazy and tired when I checked in honestly).

Btw - I am in full agreement that the dishes should be washed, cleaned and dried and put away! I'm just wondering about the legality of these things. Also includes things like extra hotel cleaning fees, and late check-out fees etc.

Not sure if this is appropriate but I’m quite worried and don’t have anyone else to ask:

Got into a fight with a group of people 2 nights ago after they spat and threw bottles at some blokes. I was mainly trying to get 2 of my mates out of there until a guy rammed into me and I was dragged in. At this point I was defending/hitting the guy back to leave me alone. I was then hit by a bottle at the top of my head and fell down. Basically, the police and ambulance were called and a bunch of people, including me were taken into the station. They took my statement and held me there for a couple of hours until they just let me go with no further action.

What I’m worried most about is if this will show up on my record and if I should be doing something to prevent that.

Any advice would help

I bought a brand new Dell laptop from JB Hi-Fi just a couple of months ago. I have been using it normally, but last night when I unplugged my earphones, I think something happened? The outer metal/plastic casing of the laptop is completely fine with no dents or drop marks, but inside I can see a small golden piece/prong thats sticking out- I checked online, and this is supposed to be inside/flat in the port area, but I'm not sure HOW it was pushed out considering i handled it carefully, AND the earphones left no piece inside. I also did double check and it might be because of a thin inner plastic latch thats either snapped or loose, which is preventing the golden bit from staying down- I think >:)

I want to take it back to JB Hi-Fi but I am worried they will try to claim it's "user physical damage" when I treat this laptop REALLY carefully. Under Australian Consumer Law, is an internal component break like this covered as a lack of acceptable quality? What is the best way to approach the service counter so they send it for a free assessment?

P.S. My Dad bought me this, so I really do wanna keep it in tip-top condition. On the other hand. I really dont wanna ask him to go fix it/spend money on it- it's around 6months into use >:)

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping someone has been through something similar or can offer some advice.

My partner and I recently bought a property in NSW. It was advertised as 360 Newcastle Road, but throughout the advertising the agent referred to “dual income opportunities” multiple times. The floor plan also clearly showed Unit 1 and Unit 2, and the contract of sale included lease agreements for 1/360 Newcastle Road and 2/360 Newcastle Road, which gave us the understanding that it was a lawful dual-occupancy property.

We’ve now received a letter from council saying they’ve received information that the property is being used as a dual occupancy, but they don’t have any records showing that it’s approved to be used that way. They’ve asked us to provide any approvals or information we have.

We’re currently renovating the property and, at the moment, we are the only ones living there so I doubt council will have an issue with is as we have done nothing wrong and ultimately are fine if it has to be 1 dwelling. However, we paid a premium because we believed we were buying a legal dual-income/dual-occupancy property, and we’d much rather retain that if it’s lawful.

My questions are:
Has anyone had council question a property’s dual-occupancy status like this?

Has anyone successfully proved existing use rights or “grandfathered” status when council had no records?

If it turns out the property was not legally approved as a dual occupancy, despite being marketed with dual income opportunities, showing Unit 1 and Unit 2 on the floor plan, and including separate lease agreements in the contract, would there potentially be grounds to pursue legal action against the selling agent or anyone else involved?

I’m not looking for legal advice—just interested in hearing from anyone who’s had a similar experience and how it turned out.
Thanks in advance for any help

Hey folks seeking a little guidance on where to go.

Currently work in the public sector in the great dictatorship of Qld.

My role is specific and targeted when I started back during the tail end of 2024.

Change of government, machinery of government etc has put freeze on funding for my department, and my specific work program making it realistically impossible for me to achieve the extremely poorly defined KPIs and functions of the role.

Change process within the department to realign. Whatever that means. Has been ongoing for over 12 months with about add much transparency as a glass of milk. Despite constant requests for clarity from myself and others who hold the same position within other regions to no avail.

Our position description has undertaken review over 3 times since I started. However at no point has it ever concluded. Current round is indicating a broadening of scope beyond the roles intention, outside the incumbents skillset, and practically abandoning the target subject matter.

I've approached the union and am waiting on an appointment.

I'm wanting to understand what my rights are to know the future of my position. The expectations. The scope. And my options regarding redundancy - if the role is taken from the initial purpose and shifted across to jobs and growth which is a completely different role and purpose to mine focused on community safety - then I do not want to work in that space I have zero interest or experience in it. I have no desire to move into a secondment or any temporary role and it's unlikely that there's an equivalent role in other departments.

What right do I have to information about the future of my role and any changes

What right do I have to redundancy if the role is materially changed to no longer even be focused on the subject I was employed for, nor will it be a part of any other roles within the department.