If someone is taking drugs or addicted to them, they should be aware that the outcome of that can manifest itself in several ways, which include hospitalisation, being admitted to a drug rehab facility, or, if caught in possession of those drugs, being arrested and ultimately prosecuted for a drug offence.

With the last of those possibilities, arrest, it is in your best interests to be aware of what your rights are if you happen to be arrested for a drug offence. One problem with drug offence arrests is the fact that if you are arrested under the influence of drugs, your thought processing and reasoning are likely to be considerably impaired.

What can happen in those circumstances is instead of being rational about the situation, you could behave completely irrationally. This can worsen the situation in several ways, which can include resisting arrest, trying to flee, or, worst of all, assaulting a police officer. All of these can make the seriousness of what you are being arrested for far greater and potentially attract a more severe sanction than the original drug offence if you are convicted.

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In almost all divorces the matter of finances, and specifically spousal support, is bound to arise, and given that this will impact significantly on both spouses’ futures, the importance of having family lawyers represent for this them is clear. That applies whether they are the spouse who will be paying spousal support or the one who will be receiving it.

Applying for spousal support can be done by someone who is married and getting a divorce, or it can be done by someone who was in a de facto relationship. This means that they were not actually married to their ex-partner, however, within Australian family law, couples in a de facto relationship have many of the same rights and protections as those who are married.

There is no amount of time that has to pass until one of the spouses is entitled to receive spousal support. In other words, they have a right to apply for it, from the day that they separate. It is often the case that the partner who has the greater finances believes that they do not have to start paying spousal support until after they are divorced, but as their family lawyer will them, that is not true.

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Starting a new business in Australia involves a lot of legal paperwork. Health and safety is a major consideration for every business, but even more so for those who work with chemicals, outdoors, with machinery, or in otherwise high risk environments.

I’d always recommend hiring a commercial lawyer to help you understand your health and safety requirements before you start a new business. Failing to do so can leave you open to prosecution and a large range of penalties.

With this in mind, here are a few important workplace health and safety considerations that you have to be aware of when starting a new business in Australia:

Understand That Every Industry Has Different Laws

Unfortunately, Australia’s health and safety laws vary according to industry. Different types of business will have significantly different health and safety rules to others, and it’s important to be aware of those which govern your industry.

Again, I’d recommend speaking about this with your local commercial lawyer. They should be able to advise you on the most important laws that you have to stick to. Alternatively, get in touch with Safe Work Australia to find out more.

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