Writing an online review can be cathartic. But is it legal? It turns out you could be sued for defamation. Yes, even in Australia.

Trams are a new-old thing recently re-introduced to Sydney. With the roll-out of trams across the city and police fining pedestrians for jaywalking near Central Station, there's now confusion surrounding the state's strict jaywalking laws. Here's what you can and can't do when it comes to trams in NSW — Newcastle included.

Australians across the eastern states have been choking their way through some of the worst air pollution on record. If you regularly commute to the city, this obviously isn't great for your lungs. But is it legal to refuse to come into work due to health concerns? Let's take a look.

There are various reasons you might want to record an Australian police officer. Maybe you've been detained by the law and want to prove what was said in court. Maybe you're a video blogger attempting to capture "life on the street". Or maybe you're bearing witness to some good ol' fashioned police brutality.

Whatever the reason, it's important to know your legal rights in these situations. Can a police officer legally stop you from filming? Let's find out.

The only thing that makes long-distance driving tolerable is music and/or podcasts. Unfortunately, using the car stereo isn't always an option. Perhaps the speakers are busted, or the person in the passenger seat hates your taste in music.

In these situations, the obvious solution is to don a pair headphones. But is this actually legal?

Consider the following scenarios: A police officer stops you on the street and asks you to empty your pockets. A police officer stops you in your car and asks to search you and the vehicle. Regardless of nearly all factors, one of the items recovered will inevitably be a mobile phone. But in what circumstances can police search your phone? Must they obtain a search warrant? And what will happen if you refuse to provide your passcode or fingerprint required to access your phone? Let's find out.

It's officially Spring, which means the return of the dreaded Magpie season. Those ruthless swooping demons are extremely aggressive during this time of year as they defend their nests with gusto around gardens, schoolyards and parks. So is it legal to kill one of these angry birds before it pecks an eye out?

Most of us have probably been enraged at some point by poor customer service and have wanted to let the world know about it. Whether it be to your loyal following on social media or anonymously on a product review site, we've all been there.

While it definitely doesn't solve the original problem, it leaves us feeling vindicated and that's what truly matters. Except that vindication could come at a huge cost.

It probably wasn’t exactly how egg-tossing activist Amber Holt thought her hit on prime minister Scott Morrision would go down. The egg bounced off his head. He cracked jokes about it. She’s been charged with common assault, and may yet lose her job for her efforts.

Picture this: you wake up and realise you're out of milk for your crucial morning coffee. Bugger. You grab your keys, pop into your car, drive down to the shops, jump out of your car without locking it and dash in to get your glorious carton of milk. Believe it or not, you've just broken the law.

There are few acts more deplorable than deliberately spitting on someone. But is it actually illegal? Let's take a look at what the law says in Australia.

The warm days of summer are almost upon us. Nudity on some Australian beaches is inevitable. But exactly how much of our flesh can we bare, and when, and where?

Most drivers don't give a second thought to snacking behind the wheel. We have fast food drive-thrus on every highway, so it must be legal... right?

As it turns out, "eat-driving" might not be as safe - or as lawful - as you think.

Discrimination occurs in the workplace when an employer takes adverse action against an employee or prospective employee because of a protected attribute such as sexual orientation.

That's almost verbatim from Australia's Fair Work Ombudsman's guidelines for all employees' right to protection from discrimination at work. Yet you still hear stories of Australians getting fired for being gay - or more accurately, being open about being gay. So is this actually legal in Australia? And if so, how?

Our society is replete with tales about the unobserved abuse of vulnerable people – in schools, kindergartens, child care facilities, psychiatric institutions, hospitals and the aged care facilities highlighted in the two-part ABC Four Corners report. Institutions are under pressure to deploy CCTV to deter abuse and provide evidence for discipline or prosecution. But this is controversial because it erodes the privacy of people in care, staff and visitors.

Some people are taking surveillance into their own hands by using private recording devices to detect abuse and thereby protect a loved one. But is this actually legal? Let's find out.

A German athlete made news last week when he was banned from an all-you-can-eat sushi restaurant for eating almost 100 pieces of sushi. And while I don't think I'm capable of eating 100 pieces of sushi myself, I still had to wonder - can all-you-can-eat restaurants legally ban you from their restaurant for doing exactly what it says on the sign? Here's what I found out.

What could be more intimately a part of you than a work of body art permanently inked into your skin? You probably assume that the tattoo on your body belongs to you. But, in actuality, somebody else might own your tattoo.

Recent lawsuits and events have shown that tattoo artists and companies can have intellectual property rights in tattoos worn by others, including both copyright and trademark rights.

This week, Elon Musk's company SpaceX revealed more details about how it plans to transport colonists to the planet Mars. There are a lot of open questions about how this will work, technically speaking, and who will pay for it. But there's another fundamental issue that must be addressed before anybody can reserve a seat on the first spaceship out: Is going to Mars even legal?

Multiple Australian governments have tried to limit so-called 'illegal refugees' taking the dangerous sea routes to seek resettlement in Australia. One such vessel arrived in North Queensland today. The people smugglers that facilitate these journeys are breaking some laws but thanks to the obfuscation of details by the Australian government it's hard to work out exactly what penalties they face.