About This Website

What is Rural Law Online?

This website is an information resource on the law for all regional and rural Victorians, provided by the Victoria Law Foundation.

The Victoria Law Foundation, is an independent, public benefit organisation, established under an Act of the Victorian Parliament in 1978. The Foundation works to improve community understanding and access to a better justice system. The President of the Foundation is the Chief Justice of Victoria.

Rural Law Online uses the services of legal experts across a broad range of topics of law, as well as linking web users to relevant primary sources of information, including government departments and peak industry bodies.

Website Features

• If you require larger text click [+] Enlarge text size, located down the left hand side of each page.
  
• By using the Menu list on the left side of the web page you can access the main components of the site.
  
• There are three key components to the website:

Law Topics, which covers over 170 topics of law relevant to rural Victorians, and

• provides independent plain language information
• provides access to external website pages for further information
• provides additional resources such as checklists, case studies, standard form letters

Find A Service, which gives you access to over 1000 legal, counselling and support services across Victoria, and

• includes a list of relevant services which can provide advice and assistance with your legal problem, including phone numbers, addresses and other details
• will select services on the basis of:
  • type of problem or enquiry you have, and
  • the service location closest to you

Discussion Forums, which are a great way for you to have your say, share information with others and talk to the legal experts. There are two types of Forums:

• Feature Forum - where current legal issues are presented by 'legal experts', who provide opinion and feedback to your concerns.
• My Forum - where you can raise issues or topics of interest and share ideas and concerns with other website users.

There are also a number of other features on Rural Law Online, including a Glossary of Legal Terms, Selected News Items, Features Topics and an opportunity to vote in our Straw Poll.

Finding your way around Law Topics

Moving around Chapters and Topics

When you click on a chapter you will see a list of topics.

At the end of each topic you will find navigation options which allow you to move back and forward to the next or previous topic. The name of the next and previous topics headings are underneath the back and forward button.

Also, between the back and forward button, there is a topic list box which lists other topics within the chapter. Click on a topic within the list to jump to that topic.

Example showing navigation options

You've Got a Query?

On the Law Topics Menu bar at the left of screen and at the bottom of each topic page there is a Table of Contents, Index and Search pages link. There is also a Search option at the top of the Home Page Menu bar.

• The Search page allows you to type in keywords or phrases to search across all areas of the site. Matching pages are ordered by relevance.
  
• The Index page, gives you an extensive list of key words in alphabetical order. These index terms are linked to the relevant content area within the Law Topics
  
• The Table of Contents page gives you an overview of the entire Law Topic Chapter and Section headings, and allows you to jump to any section you find interesting.

Related Items

Related Items can also be found at the bottom of each topic page with lists of additional resources which relate to the topic being discussed.