Caxton General

  Bonnie, a quietly-spoken 86-year-old, was being financially and emotionally abused by her grandson Joshua. Years earlier, Joshua had convinced Bonnie to transfer ownership of her home to him, stating “I’ll get it when you die anyway”. Unbeknownst to Bonnie, Joshua had a large debt with the Child Support Agency and her home was at risk of being sold. Recently, Bonnie had invited Joshua to move into the house with her when … Continue reading Bonnie’s steps to protect herself from domestic violence

What is ‘racial vilification’? Vilification is, by a public act, the incitement of hatred towards, serious contempt for or severe ridicule of a person or group of persons on the ground of race. Vilification on the basis of race and other attributes is unlawful under the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 (Qld). What is a public act? A public … Continue reading Quick Q&A on offensive racist behaviour and racial vilification

In 2021 Australia will have its human rights record assessed at the United Nations Human Rights Council in a process known as the Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The UPR provides an opportunity for other nations to identify human rights problems in Australia and make recommendations about possible solutions. To inform this process, leading Australian human … Continue reading Australia’s Human Rights Scorecard: Australia’s 2020 United Nations UPR NGO Coalition Report

Every day many older Australians make decisions that jeopardise their money or assets. Sadly, it is often family members who pressure older persons into making these bad decisions. Disputes related to paying for a granny flat or shared accommodation, especially if this involves promises made by family to provide physical care throughout the ageing years, is a common problem for the older people Caxton’s … Continue reading Rhea fights to reclaim her money

Young Cyrus Taniela’s right to maintain a culturally specific hairstyle at school has been upheld by Queensland’s Civil and Administrative Tribunal. Cyrus is Cook Islander, Niuean and Samoan, and the first-born son in his family. His hair has never been cut and will remain long until he has a traditional hair cutting ceremony, as is … Continue reading Race discrimination found in school’s attempt to unenroll student

Negotiating with your Park manager while social distancing Caxton Legal Centre's QRVPAS team have noticed that some manufactured home owners are finding it harder to advocate for their rights, because of the communication barriers that come with COVID-19 restrictions. For people living in manufactured home parks, you may have experienced difficulties getting in contact with … Continue reading Negotiating with your Park manager while social distancing

There is no doubt that COVID-19 restrictions have led to a huge change in our lifestyles and the way we interact. Despite this, disputes within retirement villages will continue to arise, which means that residents must approach the challenge of advocating for their rights while managing communication barriers that come with COVID-19 restrictions. For example: … Continue reading Negotiating with your retirement village manager while social distancing

Reg, 70, was just a boy when he discovered his father’s body following his suicide. This trauma compounded into multiple vulnerabilities that have endured throughout Reg’s life, including work and age-related impairments, illiteracy and poor telephone skills, which limit his ability to connect with other people. Reg was discharged from a hospital rehabilitation facility into … Continue reading Reg experiences extreme isolation through Covid-19

QRVPAS are concerned about an emerging trend in the negotiation of site rent increases in residential parks. Some home owners are telling us that the park owners are sending them TWO site rent increase offers at the same time, sometimes within the same letter. One is for a very high “market rent” increase, which many … Continue reading Manufactured home owners – warning about rent increases and “goodwill” offers

In late March Caxton Legal Centre staff began to see a rising wave of demand for employment law advice from workers affected by the COVID-19 shutdowns. As of June, that demand has not abated, and more distress is expected as the economic impact of the pandemic response continues to bite. Trends have included widespread dismissals, stand downs and JobKeeper problems along with an upswing in discrimination and improper treatment.   Large numbers of clients have reported that … Continue reading Employment law trends during Covid-19 at Caxton Legal Centre