New law

New law lists recent changes to law that may affect Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) publications.

• Child support – new law
  Date: 10 July 2008
  The formula for payment of child support has changed to reflect the actual cost of raising a child.
• Resolving family disputes – new law
  Date: 09 July 2008
  People who have a dispute over children have to make a genuine effort to sort this out before they apply to the Family or Federal Magistrates courts.
• Fines for offensive behaviour or alcohol-related conduct – new law
  Date: 09 July 2008
  Police can now issue fines for some minor offences such as offensive behaviour, low level property damage and alcohol-related disorderly conduct.
• Fines for shoplifting – new law
  Date: 08 July 2008
  Police can now issue a fine to adults who shoplift up to $600 worth of goods.
• Fines for careless driving – new law
  Date: 08 July 2008
  Police can now issue fines for careless driving.
• P-plate driver licensing system – new law
  Date: 02 July 2008
  P-plate drivers must spend longer on their P plates. A two tier system and stricter rules now apply to P-plate drivers.
• Serving alcohol responsibly – new law
  Date: 28 May 2008
  New law increases penalties for liquor licensees about patron drunkenness or misbehaviour and gives power to the licensing director to ban alcohol advertising if it encourages drinking to excess.
• Changes to workplace discrimination laws – new law
  Date: 09 April 2008
  Employers are not allowed to discriminate against an employee who questions or asks for information about their employment entitlements.
• Changes to workplace laws – new law
  Date: 02 April 2008
  The workplace fairness test has been replaced by the ‘no disadvantage’ test. Employers can no longer sign workers up to new Australian Workplace agreements (AWA).
• Music in restaurants – new law
  Date: 31 March 2008
  New law limits the volume of any music in restaurants after ordinary trading hours.
• Driving across train or tram tracks – new law
  Date: 31 March 2008
  Drivers must be disqualified from driving if convicted of crossing level crossings in a reckless manner.
• Protection & control of domestic animals – new law
  Date: 25 March 2008
  The law has changed to give added protection to animals, to tighten controls on restricted breed dogs and to allow more offences to be dealt with by fines.
• Solariums - new law
  Date: 20 February 2008
  New regulations for businesses that provide radiation sun-tanning beds like gyms, beauticians and solariums.
• Control of alcohol-related violence – new law
  Date: 12 February 2008
  Police now have power to ban ‘troublemakers’ from some places where alcohol-related violence has happened before.
• Upskirting – new law
  Date: 11 December 2007
  It is illegal to secretly view or photograph the genital area of people in public places.
• Citizenship test – new law
  Date: 10 December 2007
  The new citizenship test and where to complain.
• Drug driving – new law
  Date: 29 November 2007
  Increase to drug driving demerit point penalty.
• Employment – new law
  Date: 29 November 2007
  New law to protect employees who enter workplace agreements, Workplace Ombudsman, Workplace Authority and fairness test.
• New law archive
  Date: 21 July 2008
  An archive of New law articles about changes to the law that have been incorporated into new editions of Victoria Legal Aid publications.

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