Community Justice Compassion 2018 Directory
20180130 PUBLIC Community Legal Centres 2018 Directory
Sep 12, 2022
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What are Community Legal Centres?Contents
Community legal centres (CLCs) are independent community organisations that provide access to legal services, with a particular focus on services to disadvantaged and marginalised people and communities and matters in the public interest.
CLCs have a distinctive role in the NSW community and legal sector by: • Providing general legal advice and
assistance for socially and economically disadvantaged people. This includes taking on strategic casework on matters that may affect many in the community;
• Addressing special areas or specific population groups through dedicated centres (e.g. tenancy, credit and debt, domestic and family violence);
• Encouraging capacity building for people to develop skills for self-advocacy; and
• Advocating for improved access to justice and more equitable laws and legal systems.
There are currently 36 CLCs in NSW that are full members of the peak body, Community Legal Centres NSW (CLCNSW). CLCNSW also has several associate members who support the aims and objectives of the organisation.
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What is Community Legal Centres NSW?
Being members of this peak body means that CLCs are able to be accredited by the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC), and bear the NACLC trademark. The NACLC trademark signifies that the organisations are committed to Community Legal Centre Service Standards, Risk Management Guidelines, community involvement principles, and professional standards for CLCs.
What a CLC can do Individual CLCs provide advice and assistance on a range of legal issues. Most centres provide face-to-face legal advice as well as information over the phone. Many centres hold day-time and evening interview and advice sessions. Please contact the centre directly to make an appointment or to find out the times for advice sessions.
Along with individual cases, community legal centres can take on cases for large groups of people (e.g. class actions) or test cases where the problem involved will affect a significant part of the community.
CLCs often take on cases where NSW government legal aid is not available or where a centre may have particular expertise in an area of law (e.g. discrimination).
Community Legal Centres NSW (CLCNSW) is the peak body representing the network of community legal centres (CLCs) throughout NSW.
Its 36 members include generalist and specialist CLCs.
Resourced by a state office, CLCNSW provides services to member CLCs in the areas of: • Sector support and development; • Communications and information; and • Legal policy development and advocacy.
CLCNSW represents the interests of CLCs in NSW, coordinates strategic direction and development for the sector as a whoWWle, and liaises and negotiates with government on relevant legal, equity, funding and program issues.
The CLCNSW state office provides information and referrals to appropriate CLCs or other organisations, however the office itself does not provide legal advice.
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This directory provides contact details for community legal centres in New South Wales. It has three sections.
SECTION 1
All specialist community legal centres in alphabetical order Specialist centres are those which service the whole state and provide assistance to a specific group of people, or to people affected by a particular area of the law.
SECTION 2
All generalist community legal centres in alphabetical order Generalist centres are those which offer a broad range of legal assistance and information to their local community, and are located across NSW.
NOTE: If a CLC has provided an administration phone number, this is not to be given to members of the public. Administration numbers are provided in this directory so that a community or government worker may contact a centre directly; this could be in the case of an urgent need to discuss a ‘warm referral’. If a client requests a CLC’s contact number, please provide them with the advice line number or refer them to the website.
SECTION 3
Suburb and town index The third section provides an alphabetical list of suburbs and towns across NSW to help locate the nearest generalist community legal centre for a client.
NOTE: There are some geographic areas of NSW that do not have a generalist CLC. These are listed in the index, with ‘No Generalist Community Legal Centre’ in the Centre column. All people needing assistance with a NSW legal problem, including those who live outside of a CLC catchment area, can contact LawAccess on 1300 888 529 for free legal information.
Culturally and linguistically diverse clients
Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS National) Ph: 131 450 or 1800 131 450
If a person needs an interpreter:
• Call TIS National on 131 450 (this is the human service) or 1800 131 450 (this is automated voice-prompted service).
• Tell them the language the person speaks • Give TIS the telephone number of the
community legal centre the client wishes to contact.
TIS National is an interpreting service provided by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection for people who do not speak English, and for agencies and businesses that need to communicate with their non-English speaking clients.
The TIS National immediate phone interpreting service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, for the cost of a
Using this Directory
55
local call for any person or organisation in Australia who needs an interpreter.
Multicultural NSW Language Services Ph: 1300 651 500
Multicultural NSW Language Services provides comprehensive interpreting and translation services in 104 languages and dialects, including Auslan (Australian sign
language).
CLCs should use TIS National for interpreting needs where possible. If this is not possible, contact Multicultural NSW Language Services. In some circumstances where interpreting is required or arranged through a CLC, a fee- waiver may be available. For bookings that do not have their fee waived, Legal Aid NSW will, in many circumstances, reimburse the costs of interpreters for CLC appointments. To receive reimbursement of interpreting costs, the CLC should send the request to the State Program Manager at Legal Aid NSW.
Clients with disability Access for people with disability varies between centres. Please contact the centre to confirm access and to allow time to make suitable arrangements if needed.
Clients with tenancy problems Tenants’ advocacy and advice services across the state provide free legal information and related services to support disadvantaged tenants. Some tenants’ advocacy and advice services are in CLCs, and others are stand- alone services.
People with tenancy problems should visit www.tenants.org.au and use the Contact Us box to find the client’s local tenant advocate. Alternatively, call the Tenants’ Union on 8117 3700 for referrals and back-up by CLC staff. Clients can also call 1800 251 251 on Mondays only for initial advice.
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The answers to these questions may then restrict the service offered. If a person is earning a medium to high income, and action beyond just obtaining legal advice is required, a CLC will generally indicate it cannot take the matter further. Referrals to private practitioners will then be made.
Is the service free? CLC services are usually offered for free.
Some centres may charge for costs or disbursements associated with casework. That is, if a case is taken to court, the CLC may ask the person to pay the costs of the matter, such as court filing fees, printing and other disbursements.
Some CLCs provide fee-based training to organisations and communities to cover the costs of providing the training, such as printing and venue hire.
Does a person have to go to the CLC located in the area they live in, or can they go to any of them? Generally a CLC will provide services only to those people who live in their geographic catchment area. Some CLCs see clients who both live and work in their catchment areas.
In exceptional cases a CLC may refer a client to another CLC, however this would only occur after the two CLCs have discussed the matter and have agreed to refer the matter.
What is a ‘warm referral’? A ‘warm referral’ occurs where an organisation, such as a CLC, has discussed an individual’s matter with another organisation, and that second organisation then agrees to consider the matter in more detail and decide whether it is able to assist. The referring
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who can a person contact if they have a legal problem and are not sure where to start? LawAccess NSW is the best place to start to resolve a legal problem in NSW, as they will be able to provide legal information and a referral to the most appropriate service to assist your client. In some cases they may provide legal advice over the telephone.
Phone LawAccess NSW on 1300 888 529.
Who can get help from a CLC? Community Legal Centres can give free legal information to almost everyone who lives in their local area or is looking for advice in an area of law they specialise in. However, due to limited resources, CLCs often cannot provide further ongoing assistance. Where a centre can help, they usually help people who cannot afford a private solicitor and/or are unable to access Legal Aid NSW.
Many CLCs have a client intake policy. These are questions a CLC will ask a person to help the CLC decide whether it is able to assist the person with their legal issue. CLCs have this intake policy to ensure they are providing services to those in most need.
For instance, a CLC may ask the person where they live to ensure that they are in their catchment area. They will also likely ask what area of law they have a problem in to ensure that they are the right people to help them. Some CLCs will ask questions about the person’s employment status or income level.
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organisation must ask for permission from the individual to pass on their details to the other organisation.
Why may a local CLC not help a person? There may be a number of reasons why a CLC is unable to assist. These can include:
• The centre does not deal with the legal issue in question; see the listing for a particular CLC to see if it covers the area of law the person is looking for.
• CLCs are generally chronically underfunded and unable to meet all the demands on their services. If they are unable to assist, they should refer the person to another organisation.
• All CLCs have a client intake policy to determine who they can provide services to. The CLC will ask a person a number of questions to help the CLC decide whether it can help them. CLCs have this intake policy to ensure they are providing services to those in most need.
• The client may earn too much to qualify for assistance from the CLC.
• There could be a conflict of interest for the CLC in dealing with the matter: for example, the CLC is representing, or has represented, the ‘other party’ in the legal matter. Legal professional conduct rules state that a legal practice cannot represent both parties in a matter, other than in exceptional circumstances. Due to privacy law, the CLC is unable to provide information on the conflict of interest if it arises.
• If a person has gone back to the centre with the same issue and they were advised that they could not assist them, this might be because the centre believes the matter has been resolved, or the person has been
abusive, or just because there is nothing further they can assist them with.
How does someone make a complaint about a CLC? If a person wishes to make a complaint about a CLC, they should lodge a formal complaint with the CLC directly. Most CLCs have a procedure for handling complaints set out on their website. If the client is not happy with the outcome of the complaint with the CLC, they can contact the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner to make a complaint. This office receives all complaints about solicitors, barristers and licensed conveyancers in NSW.
• Ph: (02) 9377 1800 or 1800 242 958 (outside Sydney).
What does a person do if a legal issue took place in NSW but they have since moved to another state? Is the legal centre in the area in which they originally resided able to assist them? If they are ringing from outside NSW about a legal issue which occurred in NSW they should ring LawAccess NSW on 1300 888 529. LawAccess may be able to assist them over the phone with legal advice, or can provide them with a referral to the most appropriate service to assist them.
The suburb I’m looking for is not serviced by a Community Legal Centre. What can I do? There are some geographic areas of NSW that do not have a generalist CLC. If the person’s suburb is not covered, they should contact LawAccess to seek assistance.
• Ph: 1300 888 529.
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Are CLCs the same as Legal Aid? No, they are not the same.
CLCs are independent, non-profit organisations that work closely with their local communities to provide a range of legal services. This includes legal information and advice, casework, community education and law reform. CLCs focus particularly on providing services to those in most need in the community.
Generally CLC services are free. In some cases they may charge for costs related to casework or charge a small fee for community education.
Legal Aid NSW is an independent statutory body providing legal aid and other services to people who cannot afford private lawyers. The majority of their representation work is in criminal and family law. While they do provide advice in other areas, if someone needs more than initial advice on their matter, they need to apply for a grant of legal aid. Legal Aid NSW applies a means test when assessing grant applications. This includes looking at a person’s income, such as salary or government pensions, and any assets owned by the person. If they are successful with their grant application, a lawyer from Legal Aid NSW or a private lawyer, paid for by Legal Aid, will work on the matter. The client may also need to pay a contribution to Legal Aid NSW.
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Community Justice Centres Provide quick and impartial dispute resolution services for minor matters e.g. neighbourhood disputes.
• Ph: 1800 990 777 • Hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Criminal Justice Support Network Provides support to people with intellectual disability who are victims or witnesses in criminal or AVO matters and have been asked to attend a police station or are going to court.
• Ph: 1300 665 909 • Hours: 9am to 10pm, seven days a week.
Anti-Discrimination Board NSW Investigates complaints of discrimination, harassment and vilification. The Board does not take sides but tries to help both parties involved come to an agreement about how the problem can be resolved.
• Ph: (02) 9268 5544 or 1800 670 812 (outside Sydney)
• Hours: 9am to 4pm, closed 1pm to 2pm, Monday to Friday.
Australian Human Rights Commission Investigates complaints about discrimination on the grounds of race, colour or ethnic origin, sex, marital status, pregnancy, or disability, as well as racial vilification and sexual harassment.
• Ph: (02) 9284 9600 • Hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. • National Information Service: 1300 656
419 • Hours: 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday,
closed public holidays
Other Useful Services
LawAccess NSW Is a free NSW government telephone service that provides legal information, referrals and in some cases legal advice for people with a NSW legal problem. The LawAccess website is a great starting point to find legal information about a wide range of legal issues.
• Ph: 1300 888 529 • TTY: 1300 889 529 • Website: www.lawaccess.nsw.gov.au • Hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Legal Aid NSW Is a NSW government legal service dealing with family law, criminal legal matters, and some civil law matters. They provide free legal advice as well as court representation, and grants of legal aid to pay for a Legal Aid lawyer or a private solicitor. Whether someone can get legal aid depends on the type of legal problem the person has and their income. Staff at LawAccess NSW can help people work out whether legal aid may be available and assist to fill out the Legal Aid NSW application form over the telephone. Call LawAccess NSW, as above.
Legal Aid Hotline for Under 18s Provides telephone legal advice for young people facing criminal charges.
• Ph: 1800 10 18 10 • Hours: 9am to midnight on weekdays,
24 hours on Friday to Sunday and public holidays.
Office of the Legal Services Commissioner (OLSC) Receives all complaints about solicitors, barristers and licensed conveyancers in NSW. The OLSC also oversees the investigation of complaints about the conduct of practitioners and plays a major role in resolving consumer disputes.
• Ph: (02) 9377 1800 or 1800 242 958 (Australia only)
• Email: [email protected]
Family Relationship Centres Are a useful first port of call when families want information about relationship and separation issues. Where families separate, the centres provide information, advice and dispute resolution (such as mediation) to help them reach agreement on parenting arrangements. Some Family Relationship Centres also have lawyers through CLC.
• Ph: Freecall 1800 050 321 • Hours: 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 10am
to 4pm Saturday, closed public holidays • Website: www.familyrelationships.gov.au
NSW Ombudsman’s Office Investigates complaints about the conduct of NSW government agencies and departments and their employees, as well as some non- government agencies.
• Ph: (02) 9286 1000 or 1800 451 524 (outside Sydney)
• Hours: 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday for complaints enquiries.
Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited (ALS) Is a community-controlled organisation responsible for providing legal assistance to Aboriginal people in NSW and the ACT. The ALS provides legal advice, referral and casework assistance in the fields of criminal and family law (including care and protection), and in some cases civil law. Local ALS office locations and contact details can be found on the ALS website.
• Crime Ph: 1800 765 767 • Care Ph: 1800 733 233 • Hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. • Website: www.alsnswact.org.au
The Solicitor Referral Service of the Law Society of New South Wales Helps members of the public find a private firm of solicitors or accredited specialists in specific areas of law. The Solicitor Referral Service pivots around a unique referral database of more than 1,600 law firms which enables the enquiry officers to refer clients who can pay for legal services to appropriate law firms.
• Ph: (02) 9926 0300 or 1800 422 713 (outside Sydney)
• Hours: 9am to 4pm, closed 12pm to 1pm, Monday to Friday, closed public holidays
• Email: [email protected]
Lifeline Provides services in suicide prevention, crisis support and mental health support.
• Ph: 13 11 14 • Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
NSW Health – Crisis Mental Health Teams Directs anyone with a severe mental health issue to the right care for them.
• Ph: 1800 011 511 • Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Headspace Provides free or low cost early intervention mental health services to 12–25 year olds, along with assistance in promoting young people’s wellbeing. Headspace also offers an online and telephone service called ‘eheadspace’.
• Ph: (03) 9027 0100 (National Office) • Website: www.headspace.org.au
Eheadspace: www.eheadspace.org.au • Hours (eheadspace): 9am to 1am, 7 days a
week
Kids Helpline Is a free telephone counselling service for children and teenagers.
• Ph: 1800 55 1800 • Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Gambling Help NSW Is a telephone, face to face and online service
to assist those who have…
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What are Community Legal Centres?Contents
Community legal centres (CLCs) are independent community organisations that provide access to legal services, with a particular focus on services to disadvantaged and marginalised people and communities and matters in the public interest.
CLCs have a distinctive role in the NSW community and legal sector by: • Providing general legal advice and
assistance for socially and economically disadvantaged people. This includes taking on strategic casework on matters that may affect many in the community;
• Addressing special areas or specific population groups through dedicated centres (e.g. tenancy, credit and debt, domestic and family violence);
• Encouraging capacity building for people to develop skills for self-advocacy; and
• Advocating for improved access to justice and more equitable laws and legal systems.
There are currently 36 CLCs in NSW that are full members of the peak body, Community Legal Centres NSW (CLCNSW). CLCNSW also has several associate members who support the aims and objectives of the organisation.
3
What is Community Legal Centres NSW?
Being members of this peak body means that CLCs are able to be accredited by the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC), and bear the NACLC trademark. The NACLC trademark signifies that the organisations are committed to Community Legal Centre Service Standards, Risk Management Guidelines, community involvement principles, and professional standards for CLCs.
What a CLC can do Individual CLCs provide advice and assistance on a range of legal issues. Most centres provide face-to-face legal advice as well as information over the phone. Many centres hold day-time and evening interview and advice sessions. Please contact the centre directly to make an appointment or to find out the times for advice sessions.
Along with individual cases, community legal centres can take on cases for large groups of people (e.g. class actions) or test cases where the problem involved will affect a significant part of the community.
CLCs often take on cases where NSW government legal aid is not available or where a centre may have particular expertise in an area of law (e.g. discrimination).
Community Legal Centres NSW (CLCNSW) is the peak body representing the network of community legal centres (CLCs) throughout NSW.
Its 36 members include generalist and specialist CLCs.
Resourced by a state office, CLCNSW provides services to member CLCs in the areas of: • Sector support and development; • Communications and information; and • Legal policy development and advocacy.
CLCNSW represents the interests of CLCs in NSW, coordinates strategic direction and development for the sector as a whoWWle, and liaises and negotiates with government on relevant legal, equity, funding and program issues.
The CLCNSW state office provides information and referrals to appropriate CLCs or other organisations, however the office itself does not provide legal advice.
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This directory provides contact details for community legal centres in New South Wales. It has three sections.
SECTION 1
All specialist community legal centres in alphabetical order Specialist centres are those which service the whole state and provide assistance to a specific group of people, or to people affected by a particular area of the law.
SECTION 2
All generalist community legal centres in alphabetical order Generalist centres are those which offer a broad range of legal assistance and information to their local community, and are located across NSW.
NOTE: If a CLC has provided an administration phone number, this is not to be given to members of the public. Administration numbers are provided in this directory so that a community or government worker may contact a centre directly; this could be in the case of an urgent need to discuss a ‘warm referral’. If a client requests a CLC’s contact number, please provide them with the advice line number or refer them to the website.
SECTION 3
Suburb and town index The third section provides an alphabetical list of suburbs and towns across NSW to help locate the nearest generalist community legal centre for a client.
NOTE: There are some geographic areas of NSW that do not have a generalist CLC. These are listed in the index, with ‘No Generalist Community Legal Centre’ in the Centre column. All people needing assistance with a NSW legal problem, including those who live outside of a CLC catchment area, can contact LawAccess on 1300 888 529 for free legal information.
Culturally and linguistically diverse clients
Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS National) Ph: 131 450 or 1800 131 450
If a person needs an interpreter:
• Call TIS National on 131 450 (this is the human service) or 1800 131 450 (this is automated voice-prompted service).
• Tell them the language the person speaks • Give TIS the telephone number of the
community legal centre the client wishes to contact.
TIS National is an interpreting service provided by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection for people who do not speak English, and for agencies and businesses that need to communicate with their non-English speaking clients.
The TIS National immediate phone interpreting service is available 24 hours a day, every day of the year, for the cost of a
Using this Directory
55
local call for any person or organisation in Australia who needs an interpreter.
Multicultural NSW Language Services Ph: 1300 651 500
Multicultural NSW Language Services provides comprehensive interpreting and translation services in 104 languages and dialects, including Auslan (Australian sign
language).
CLCs should use TIS National for interpreting needs where possible. If this is not possible, contact Multicultural NSW Language Services. In some circumstances where interpreting is required or arranged through a CLC, a fee- waiver may be available. For bookings that do not have their fee waived, Legal Aid NSW will, in many circumstances, reimburse the costs of interpreters for CLC appointments. To receive reimbursement of interpreting costs, the CLC should send the request to the State Program Manager at Legal Aid NSW.
Clients with disability Access for people with disability varies between centres. Please contact the centre to confirm access and to allow time to make suitable arrangements if needed.
Clients with tenancy problems Tenants’ advocacy and advice services across the state provide free legal information and related services to support disadvantaged tenants. Some tenants’ advocacy and advice services are in CLCs, and others are stand- alone services.
People with tenancy problems should visit www.tenants.org.au and use the Contact Us box to find the client’s local tenant advocate. Alternatively, call the Tenants’ Union on 8117 3700 for referrals and back-up by CLC staff. Clients can also call 1800 251 251 on Mondays only for initial advice.
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The answers to these questions may then restrict the service offered. If a person is earning a medium to high income, and action beyond just obtaining legal advice is required, a CLC will generally indicate it cannot take the matter further. Referrals to private practitioners will then be made.
Is the service free? CLC services are usually offered for free.
Some centres may charge for costs or disbursements associated with casework. That is, if a case is taken to court, the CLC may ask the person to pay the costs of the matter, such as court filing fees, printing and other disbursements.
Some CLCs provide fee-based training to organisations and communities to cover the costs of providing the training, such as printing and venue hire.
Does a person have to go to the CLC located in the area they live in, or can they go to any of them? Generally a CLC will provide services only to those people who live in their geographic catchment area. Some CLCs see clients who both live and work in their catchment areas.
In exceptional cases a CLC may refer a client to another CLC, however this would only occur after the two CLCs have discussed the matter and have agreed to refer the matter.
What is a ‘warm referral’? A ‘warm referral’ occurs where an organisation, such as a CLC, has discussed an individual’s matter with another organisation, and that second organisation then agrees to consider the matter in more detail and decide whether it is able to assist. The referring
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who can a person contact if they have a legal problem and are not sure where to start? LawAccess NSW is the best place to start to resolve a legal problem in NSW, as they will be able to provide legal information and a referral to the most appropriate service to assist your client. In some cases they may provide legal advice over the telephone.
Phone LawAccess NSW on 1300 888 529.
Who can get help from a CLC? Community Legal Centres can give free legal information to almost everyone who lives in their local area or is looking for advice in an area of law they specialise in. However, due to limited resources, CLCs often cannot provide further ongoing assistance. Where a centre can help, they usually help people who cannot afford a private solicitor and/or are unable to access Legal Aid NSW.
Many CLCs have a client intake policy. These are questions a CLC will ask a person to help the CLC decide whether it is able to assist the person with their legal issue. CLCs have this intake policy to ensure they are providing services to those in most need.
For instance, a CLC may ask the person where they live to ensure that they are in their catchment area. They will also likely ask what area of law they have a problem in to ensure that they are the right people to help them. Some CLCs will ask questions about the person’s employment status or income level.
77
organisation must ask for permission from the individual to pass on their details to the other organisation.
Why may a local CLC not help a person? There may be a number of reasons why a CLC is unable to assist. These can include:
• The centre does not deal with the legal issue in question; see the listing for a particular CLC to see if it covers the area of law the person is looking for.
• CLCs are generally chronically underfunded and unable to meet all the demands on their services. If they are unable to assist, they should refer the person to another organisation.
• All CLCs have a client intake policy to determine who they can provide services to. The CLC will ask a person a number of questions to help the CLC decide whether it can help them. CLCs have this intake policy to ensure they are providing services to those in most need.
• The client may earn too much to qualify for assistance from the CLC.
• There could be a conflict of interest for the CLC in dealing with the matter: for example, the CLC is representing, or has represented, the ‘other party’ in the legal matter. Legal professional conduct rules state that a legal practice cannot represent both parties in a matter, other than in exceptional circumstances. Due to privacy law, the CLC is unable to provide information on the conflict of interest if it arises.
• If a person has gone back to the centre with the same issue and they were advised that they could not assist them, this might be because the centre believes the matter has been resolved, or the person has been
abusive, or just because there is nothing further they can assist them with.
How does someone make a complaint about a CLC? If a person wishes to make a complaint about a CLC, they should lodge a formal complaint with the CLC directly. Most CLCs have a procedure for handling complaints set out on their website. If the client is not happy with the outcome of the complaint with the CLC, they can contact the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner to make a complaint. This office receives all complaints about solicitors, barristers and licensed conveyancers in NSW.
• Ph: (02) 9377 1800 or 1800 242 958 (outside Sydney).
What does a person do if a legal issue took place in NSW but they have since moved to another state? Is the legal centre in the area in which they originally resided able to assist them? If they are ringing from outside NSW about a legal issue which occurred in NSW they should ring LawAccess NSW on 1300 888 529. LawAccess may be able to assist them over the phone with legal advice, or can provide them with a referral to the most appropriate service to assist them.
The suburb I’m looking for is not serviced by a Community Legal Centre. What can I do? There are some geographic areas of NSW that do not have a generalist CLC. If the person’s suburb is not covered, they should contact LawAccess to seek assistance.
• Ph: 1300 888 529.
8 8
Are CLCs the same as Legal Aid? No, they are not the same.
CLCs are independent, non-profit organisations that work closely with their local communities to provide a range of legal services. This includes legal information and advice, casework, community education and law reform. CLCs focus particularly on providing services to those in most need in the community.
Generally CLC services are free. In some cases they may charge for costs related to casework or charge a small fee for community education.
Legal Aid NSW is an independent statutory body providing legal aid and other services to people who cannot afford private lawyers. The majority of their representation work is in criminal and family law. While they do provide advice in other areas, if someone needs more than initial advice on their matter, they need to apply for a grant of legal aid. Legal Aid NSW applies a means test when assessing grant applications. This includes looking at a person’s income, such as salary or government pensions, and any assets owned by the person. If they are successful with their grant application, a lawyer from Legal Aid NSW or a private lawyer, paid for by Legal Aid, will work on the matter. The client may also need to pay a contribution to Legal Aid NSW.
99
Community Justice Centres Provide quick and impartial dispute resolution services for minor matters e.g. neighbourhood disputes.
• Ph: 1800 990 777 • Hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Criminal Justice Support Network Provides support to people with intellectual disability who are victims or witnesses in criminal or AVO matters and have been asked to attend a police station or are going to court.
• Ph: 1300 665 909 • Hours: 9am to 10pm, seven days a week.
Anti-Discrimination Board NSW Investigates complaints of discrimination, harassment and vilification. The Board does not take sides but tries to help both parties involved come to an agreement about how the problem can be resolved.
• Ph: (02) 9268 5544 or 1800 670 812 (outside Sydney)
• Hours: 9am to 4pm, closed 1pm to 2pm, Monday to Friday.
Australian Human Rights Commission Investigates complaints about discrimination on the grounds of race, colour or ethnic origin, sex, marital status, pregnancy, or disability, as well as racial vilification and sexual harassment.
• Ph: (02) 9284 9600 • Hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. • National Information Service: 1300 656
419 • Hours: 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday,
closed public holidays
Other Useful Services
LawAccess NSW Is a free NSW government telephone service that provides legal information, referrals and in some cases legal advice for people with a NSW legal problem. The LawAccess website is a great starting point to find legal information about a wide range of legal issues.
• Ph: 1300 888 529 • TTY: 1300 889 529 • Website: www.lawaccess.nsw.gov.au • Hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
Legal Aid NSW Is a NSW government legal service dealing with family law, criminal legal matters, and some civil law matters. They provide free legal advice as well as court representation, and grants of legal aid to pay for a Legal Aid lawyer or a private solicitor. Whether someone can get legal aid depends on the type of legal problem the person has and their income. Staff at LawAccess NSW can help people work out whether legal aid may be available and assist to fill out the Legal Aid NSW application form over the telephone. Call LawAccess NSW, as above.
Legal Aid Hotline for Under 18s Provides telephone legal advice for young people facing criminal charges.
• Ph: 1800 10 18 10 • Hours: 9am to midnight on weekdays,
24 hours on Friday to Sunday and public holidays.
Office of the Legal Services Commissioner (OLSC) Receives all complaints about solicitors, barristers and licensed conveyancers in NSW. The OLSC also oversees the investigation of complaints about the conduct of practitioners and plays a major role in resolving consumer disputes.
• Ph: (02) 9377 1800 or 1800 242 958 (Australia only)
• Email: [email protected]
Family Relationship Centres Are a useful first port of call when families want information about relationship and separation issues. Where families separate, the centres provide information, advice and dispute resolution (such as mediation) to help them reach agreement on parenting arrangements. Some Family Relationship Centres also have lawyers through CLC.
• Ph: Freecall 1800 050 321 • Hours: 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 10am
to 4pm Saturday, closed public holidays • Website: www.familyrelationships.gov.au
NSW Ombudsman’s Office Investigates complaints about the conduct of NSW government agencies and departments and their employees, as well as some non- government agencies.
• Ph: (02) 9286 1000 or 1800 451 524 (outside Sydney)
• Hours: 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday for complaints enquiries.
Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited (ALS) Is a community-controlled organisation responsible for providing legal assistance to Aboriginal people in NSW and the ACT. The ALS provides legal advice, referral and casework assistance in the fields of criminal and family law (including care and protection), and in some cases civil law. Local ALS office locations and contact details can be found on the ALS website.
• Crime Ph: 1800 765 767 • Care Ph: 1800 733 233 • Hours: 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. • Website: www.alsnswact.org.au
The Solicitor Referral Service of the Law Society of New South Wales Helps members of the public find a private firm of solicitors or accredited specialists in specific areas of law. The Solicitor Referral Service pivots around a unique referral database of more than 1,600 law firms which enables the enquiry officers to refer clients who can pay for legal services to appropriate law firms.
• Ph: (02) 9926 0300 or 1800 422 713 (outside Sydney)
• Hours: 9am to 4pm, closed 12pm to 1pm, Monday to Friday, closed public holidays
• Email: [email protected]
Lifeline Provides services in suicide prevention, crisis support and mental health support.
• Ph: 13 11 14 • Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
NSW Health – Crisis Mental Health Teams Directs anyone with a severe mental health issue to the right care for them.
• Ph: 1800 011 511 • Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Headspace Provides free or low cost early intervention mental health services to 12–25 year olds, along with assistance in promoting young people’s wellbeing. Headspace also offers an online and telephone service called ‘eheadspace’.
• Ph: (03) 9027 0100 (National Office) • Website: www.headspace.org.au
Eheadspace: www.eheadspace.org.au • Hours (eheadspace): 9am to 1am, 7 days a
week
Kids Helpline Is a free telephone counselling service for children and teenagers.
• Ph: 1800 55 1800 • Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Gambling Help NSW Is a telephone, face to face and online service
to assist those who have…
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