Legal Matters Archive

A butcher sets up a free community barbecue on the footpath outside his shop, the way he has every weekend for a couple of years. Then a council officer arrives, and the barbecue stops: no permit for the barbecue, no permit for the roadside dining, no permit for the table with the bread and onions. A fine of up to $1,600 may be following by mail. You may never run a sausage sizzle. The feeling, though, is familiar territory: something ordinary, something small, and a wall of rules that apparently nobody knew about until they were enforced. A neighbour’s stormwater, a dog complaint, a signage warning that somehow becomes a shutdown. Small disputes like this have a habit of swallowing months of your life.

Self-defence in Queensland is about stopping an unlawful assault, not punishing the person who started it. In Episode 35 of Legal Matters, Andrew Bell and Colin Balewski examine reasonable force, when defensive action becomes retaliation, helping another person and the stricter limits on force used only to protect property. Callers Brian and Ken then ask about leaving assets to grandchildren while excluding an estranged child, and intervening if an aggressive stranger attacks another passenger.

Property contracts, wills and probate can create expensive problems when people rely on assumptions rather than checking the documents. In Episode 34 of Legal Matters, seven callers put practical Queensland questions to Andrew Bell, ranging from insurance before settlement and dying without a will to land tax, self-managed superannuation, spent convictions and jointly owned assets. The planned discussion about self-defence was postponed because the phone lines remained busy. Andrew and Colin will return to that topic in the next episode, following the citizen’s arrest discussion in Episode 33 .

Stopping a suspected offender can turn a witness into an accused if the arrest or the force used is unlawful. In Episode 33 of Legal Matters, Andrew Bell and Colin Balewski examine the narrow rules for a citizen’s arrest in Queensland, the limits of self-defence, and why observing, recording and calling police is often safer than intervening physically. The episode also explains the card surcharge changes commencing on 1 October 2026. Callers Glenda and David ask about using a phone for GPS navigation and declining casual conversation during a random breath test. Audrey Bell joins Andrew and Colin in the studio during the school holidays.

Whether police can look through your car at a roadside stop turns almost entirely on one thing: whether you agreed to it. In Episode 32 of Legal Matters, Andrew Bell finishes the Queensland police roadside stop series that callers flooded last week, walking host Colin Balewski through vehicle searches, lawful directions, self-defence items, phones and recording police. Andrew’s eldest daughter also sat in the studio for the school holidays, although she wisely declined to answer any questions on air.

If a marked police car turns its lights on behind you, the ten seconds before you decide what to say next matter more than most drivers realise. In Episode 31 of Legal Matters, Andrew Bell turns the tables on host Colin Balewski, quizzing him through a simulated roadside stop to show exactly what Queensland Police can require and what a driver is free to decline, before taking six caller questions ranging from body corporate visitor parking to mutual wills and digital driver licences.

Every lawyer swears an oath that puts the court ahead of the client, and that single rule explains almost everything people find confusing about how the legal system works. In Episode 30 of Legal Matters, Andrew Bell and Colin Balewski unpack legal ethics, the cab-rank rule, and a live High Court case about banning political parties, before four callers raise refund rights on second-hand goods, why probate is required for a simple will, and what it means to be a protected witness in a serious criminal trial.

AI can help a songwriter turn an idea into a finished track, but it cannot answer the legal questions that follow. In Episode 29 of Legal Matters, Andrew Bell and Colin Balewski explore the human contribution behind AI-assisted music, copyright and moral rights, APRA AMCOS and ARIA issues, voice-cloning risks, and the practical records creators should keep. This podcast accompanies Bell & Senior Lawyers’ detailed Australian Technology Law guide for songwriters, producers, performers and community broadcasters using AI tools. Begin with the one-page practical guide, then use the detailed guide when you need a fuller explanation of authorship, royalties, industry rules and release risks.

When capacity, estate planning and property title records no longer match a family’s circumstances, a quick form or informal change can make the problem worse. In this episode of Legal Matters, Andrew Bell and Colin Balewski discuss digital Commonwealth statutory declarations, mirror wills and dementia, Census obligations and privacy, smart-meter concerns, SMSF title discrepancies, and the support available to an elderly estate administrator. The programme began with a brief return to drone rules from the previous week, then moved through a broad set of practical caller questions. The common thread was the importance of identifying the correct legal document, decision-maker and process before acting.

Drones, rental cars and parenting relocation: your legal questions answered Can you launch a drone from the beach, chase whale footage or fly using FPV goggles? What should you do when a rental-car company says you damaged its vehicle after you have handed back the keys? And can a separated parent accept a job interstate, or in Townsville, and move with the children? In this practical, caller-driven episode of Legal Matters, Andrew Bell joins Colin Balewski on 4CRB 89.3FM to tackle the legal questions that can catch people out in everyday life. The discussion moves from CASA drone rules on the Gold Coast to parenting relocation and changed arrangements after separation, before listeners put real questions about enduring powers of attorney, rental-car excesses, bank procedures and Queensland wills to air.