The Farm and Rural Legal Service
Disclaimer: This content is for general purposes only and not legal advice. If you have a legal problem, please contact us or speak to a lawyer. View our full disclaimer.
Legal help for farmers and rural businesses.
Not sure if we can help with your legal problem? Just call us and ask. If we can’t help we’ll refer you to someone who can.
How can the Farm and Rural Legal Service help me?
The Farm and Rural Legal Service gives help and advice to Queensland rural producers and rural based businesses who:
- have severe debt related problems
- are in dispute with their lenders
- are facing financial hardship relating to their business or
- have been issued with an enforcement action notice by their bank or financier.
How much does the service cost?
The service is free for Queensland rural producers and rural businesses.
Where can I go to get help?
You can contact our Farm and Rural Legal Service by calling our contact centre on 1300 65 11 88 (for the cost of a local call) or by emailing frls@legalaid.qld.gov.au
You can meet us at your closest Legal Aid office, talk to us over the telephone or we can visit you at your farm or business. We can also organise video or telephone conferences in some regions.
What legal services do you provide?
If you’re a Queensland rural producer or rural based business confronted with severe debt-related problems, the Farm and Rural Legal Service can give advice on:
- enforcement action notices
- legal documents
- legal processes
- legal options
- Queensland and Commonwealth laws including the Farm Business Debt Mediation Act 2017 (Qld), Farm Debt Mediation Act 1994 (NSW), and the Credit (Rural Finance) Act 1996 (Qld)
- the conduct and actions of other parties.
We don’t do any court work or prepare any court forms. We also don’t do conveyancing work or work involving wills and estates.
How can you help me negotiate?
We can negotiate on your behalf by contacting people directly and by attending farm debt mediations or meetings. Negotiation and mediation can often help you resolve your problems without having to go to court.
Will you actually go to meet with my bank?
Yes. We can go with you to your bank and help you sort out any disputes you may have with them.
Can you work with other people who are already helping me?
Yes. We can work with other advisers like rural financial counsellors, agronomists and accountants. Our aim is to work with everyone involved to achieve the best possible outcome.
Is your help confidential?
Yes. Our services are confidential and we are committed to protecting your privacy. We will not provide your personal information or details about your legal problem to anyone, unless we are authorised by you to do so or legally required to.
What other services do you provide?
We make submissions to state and federal governments on legal issues relating to the rural sector.
We are constantly listening to primary producers and the agribusiness sector about the major debt related issues affecting them and what they’d like to see changed.
We also help educate the community by going to meetings and talking about issues important to primary producers and rural businesses.
Do you need extra help accessing our services?
We are committed to providing accessible services to Queenslanders from all culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. To have this publication explained in your language, please phone the Translating and Interpreting Service on 13 14 50 to speak to an interpreter. Ask them to connect you to Legal Aid Queensland on 1800 998 980.
If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment you can contact us using the National Relay Service. Visit www.relayservice.gov.au and ask for 1800 998 980. These are free services.
How do I provide feedback or make a complaint?
Your feedback—complaints, compliments and suggestions—is welcome and we take it seriously.
To make a comment about the service you received from Legal Aid Queensland, you can complete our client feedback form. The form is available from your local Legal Aid office and our website.
You can also give us feedback by:
- writing to us at GPO Box 2449, Brisbane, Qld, 4001
- or calling 1300 65 11 88.
Last updated 15 December 2022