Last updated 9 July 2024

Term Definition
Apprenticeship or traineeship A means by which a person can obtain a qualification by completing employment-based training with an employer.
Award A legal document that outlines minimum rates of pay and conditions of employment.
Beneficial contracts of service A contract that provides employment or training for employment. Beneficial contracts of service will only be binding and enforceable if the terms of the contract are beneficial to the child and not onerous.
Centrelink A program run by the Federal Government Department, Services Australia, which delivers social security payments and services to Australians.
Child A person under 18 years of age.
Compulsory participation phase The period of time during which children who had completed year 10 or turned 16 years of age must be ‘learning or earning’.
Compulsory school age Children aged between six and a half years of age and 16 years of age.
Contract An agreement made between two or more parties that is legally enforceable.
Contract for necessities A contract between a child and one or more parties for the provision of goods or services that are necessary for maintaining the child’s lifestyle (e.g. food, clothing, housing/accommodation, medical attention and legal advice).
Costs Fees and expenses that lawyers charge for their work.
Discrimination The less favourable treatment of people based on characteristics such as race, gender, age, sexuality, sex, gender identity, relationship status, pregnancy, breastfeeding, family responsibilities, parental status, religious belief or activity and political belief or activity.
Employee A person employed by a business or company to perform work for the business or company.
Employer A business or company that employs people to work for it.
Enterprise Agreement An agreement made at the enterprise level that contains terms and conditions of employment, including wages, for a period of up to four years from the date of approval.
General protections Protection given to workers under the Fair Work Act from adverse action if they exercise a workplace right.
Liability A person’s or company’s legal obligation.
Licensed premises An establishment where alcoholic beverages are sold and consumed.
Liquor Alcoholic drinks that have more than 0.5% alcohol.
Litigation guardian A person who acts on behalf of a child in legal proceedings.
Medicare Australia’s universal health insurance scheme which provides free or subsidised healthcare for Australians.
Negligence A legal cause of action consisting of three elements that must be met:

  1.   A person owes a duty of care to another person to take precautions against a risk of harm.
  2.  The person breaches this duty of care when a reasonable person would have taken precautions.
  3.  The breach causes loss, injury or damage.
Parent or Guardian
  • the child’s mother or father
  • a person in whose favour a parenting order operates
  • a person having custody or guardianship of the child under an Act
  • a long-term guardian of the child
  • a permanent guardian of the child
Public Trustee The statutory authority in Queensland that provides support and services to people in Queensland in financial administration, trusts administration and estate administration.
Serve/served/service Giving court documents to another party.
Services Australia an agency of the Australian Government that delivers social services such as Centrelink and Medicare
Sexual harassment Unwelcome sexual advances, unwelcome requests for sexual favours or other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in circumstances in which a reasonable person, having regard to all the circumstances, would have anticipated that a person being harassed would be offended, humiliated or intimidated (s 28A Sex-Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth)).
Standard of care The degree or care or caution required by someone who owes a duty of care.
Unfair dismissal Where a person’s employment has been terminated in a way that is harsh, unjust or unreasonable.
Will A legal document that contains instructions on how you wish for your belongings and property to be distributed after you die.