Welcome to the Queensland Law Handbook Online

This is really still a book …
While we made every effort to convert the updated version of the 12th and last paper edition of the Queensland Law Handbook into a user-friendly online legal self-help resource,  this publication still largely retains the characteristics of a book.

The 63 chapters have been divided into seven sections of law with meaningful titles and representative pictures to symbolise the respective content.

The headings of each individual chapter were carefully constructed to include keywords and phrases that greatly enhance accessibility. Additionally, links to up-to-date primary trustworthy external sources, such as Commonwealth and state government law websites, government departments and other reputable organisations are included.

This is your plain-English guide to the law in Queensland.

Reading

If you wish to you can start at the first chapter, Where Law Comes From under the section The Australian Legal System, and simply read the entire Handbook using the ‘Next’ buttons at the bottom of each page to move on to the next page.

The name of the respective author(s) for each chapter and a link to their biographies appears at the top of the list of law sections.

Browsing

If you are interested in finding out about a specific area of law, choose from the list of sections that appears on the right side of every page.

When you click on a particular section, you will be taken to page listing all the chapters contained in that section. Each chapter deals with a specific part of that area of law.

Searching

If you are looking for something specific and it is not obvious which area of law it falls under, try using the site’s Search facility.

You will find a search function at the top of the list of law sections on the right of every page. Type in your search term and press enter to activate.

At the very top right of each page, the button with the magnifying glass icon is also a search function. Click on the icon and a search box will appear at the very top of the page. As before, enter your search term and press enter to activate.

Links

The Handbook is designed to be useful without following any external links as legislation and procedures are explained in straightforward terms.

However, we have provided links to legislation and cases from a variety of authoritative external Commonwealth and state government law websites for anyone who wishes to delve deeper into the law. We also linked to most government departments and other reputable organisations as referred to in the text.

Due to the structure of the external legal resources and the complex nature of legislation, it is not always possible to link directly to the specific part of the legislation required.

  • If the link takes you to an Acrobat document (.pdf) or the top of a large webpage check the number of the schedule, chapter, part or division on, or close to, the link on the Handbook’s page and look for it in that document.
  • Where a range of sections, parts, divisions or chapters are noted in a single link (e.g. ss 35-37A of The Example Act) the link will take you to the first part (if possible). You can then use the external site’s navigation buttons to browse through the sections noted.