Basic Rights Queensland (BRQ) is a specialist community legal centre, providing free advice, advocacy and legal services across Queensland.

Our committed team support vulnerable people in matters relating to employment, Centrelink and discrimination.

We Provide

Help with Centrelink
We provide free information, advocacy and legal services on Social Security (Centrelink and Employment Services).

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Discrimination Assistance
We provide support for you to understand and protect your rights and help resolve discrimination matters.

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Working Women Qld
A free, confidential & supportive service designed to help vulnerable women seeking help with work-related matters.

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Mental Health Legal Help
Legal support for people with mental health issues and referrals to specialist community legal services for mental health.

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Where an issue has an impact on the broader community we may develop and conduct community education activities, and/or undertake research informing law reform projects where we advocate on behalf of the community.
  • Basic Rights Queensland’s specialist services are accessible via freecall numbers from anywhere in Queensland.
  • BRQ’s client work focuses on vulnerable and disadvantaged people:
  • 55% of our clients are people with disability, including mental illness
  • 97% of our clients are in very straitened financial circumstances
  • 14% of our clients have no income at the time of contact
  • Basic Rights Queensland’s social work services are offered to clients in need of brief counselling or linking in with local supports
  • BRQ’s plain English factsheets support understanding of the law, how to access rights and any related responsibilities
  • BRQ’s capacity-building training assists community, private sector and government workers to understand the law and how to assist their clients
  • BRQ’s law reform activities arise from the client work; they focus on informing government of the impacts of laws and policies on vulnerable people and on offering positive alternatives
  • BRQ has been operating for over 33 years with the support of volunteers, sponsors, donors and pro-bono assistance

Basic Rights Queensland: News

BRQ urges clearer, faster decisions in Centrelink appeals

BRQ urges clearer, faster decisions in Centrelink appeals

September 26, 2025

When Centrelink gets it wrong, the stakes are life-changing. For many Queenslanders, that can mean months without income, medication or stable housing while they wait for a decision to be reviewed. Basic Rights Queensland (BRQ) says the system designed to correct these mistakes is itself broken — and has called for urgent reform in a … Read More

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What needs to change: why non-compete clauses are unfair

What needs to change: why non-compete clauses are unfair

September 18, 2025

Non-compete clauses are one of the most common types of restraint clauses (terms in employment contracts designed to restrict what a worker can do after leaving a job). While restraint clauses are often justified as protecting business interests, in practice they too often go further, limiting workers’ choices, mobility and bargaining power. Non-competes are particularly damaging because they can block people from finding new work altogether.

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AI surveillance at work: do working women pay a higher price

AI surveillance at work: do working women pay a higher price

August 19, 2025

Words by Eloise Dalton, Director of Working Women Queensland.   Artificial intelligence is on the agenda at this week’s economic reform roundtable, given its potential to boost productivity. The debate is already lively with calls for less regulation to unlock productivity gains, contrasted with unions pressing for stronger protections for workers. In these conversations and … Read More

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In 2023-24, Basic Rights Queensland helped 3,618 people access 10,998 services.

By percentage, our clients identified as:

72.4
Female Clients
10.64
Regional and Remote
6.5
Culturally or Linguistically Diverse, or Indigenous Australians
43.5
People with a disability

Get Help Now: Call Basic Rights Queensland from anywhere in Queensland.

Make a booking for Telephone Advice here.

Free Call 1800 358 511

Monday – Friday: 9:00am – 4:00pm