Media releases

Funding to provide free legal help for women facing family violence announced today by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will come as some relief to victims and the community legal centres who help them. However, it falls short of restoring Federal Government cuts and does not address growing need for family violence and broader legal help, according to the Federation of Community Legal Centres. ...

Today’s Federal Court ruling requiring the reconsideration of a refusal to release the work diary of Attorney-General George Brandis under freedom of information laws has been welcomed by the Federation of Community Legal Centres.

A debate this afternoon between Attorney-General George Brandis and Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus offers a vital chance to focus on the national crisis in community legal centre funding in the lead-up to the Federal election, according to the peak body for fifty community legal centres in Victoria.

As prime minister Malcolm Turnbull announces money for mobile blackspots in Corangamite, he is neglecting existing blackspots in free legal help and making them worse with more than $34 million in cuts left in place in the Federal Budget amid a broader Federal funding shortfall of $100m over four years.

Community lawyers have urged caution and called for full funding of all family violence services following claims by Senator Michaelia Cash on ABC radio that community legal centres can expect a share of broader family violence funding* from the Federal Budget that was not allocated to legal assistance services.

The Federal Government has flagged its failure on community legal centre funding in tomorrow’s Federal Budget by ignoring a central recommendation of the Productivity Commission for an urgent annual boost to national funding for combined free legal assistance services of $200 million a year.

While welcoming $2.5 million for community legal centres under yesterday’s family violence funding announcement by the Victorian Government, at least an additional $4 million per year is needed to tackle family violence related legal problems, according to the Federation of Community Legal Centres.

Today’s report of the Royal Commission into Family Violence has sent a strong signal in advance of Friday’s COAG meeting that the State Government should advocate strongly for increased Federal funding to family violence legal help. The Federal Government is set to slash funding to community legal centres by 30 per cent nationally in July 2017.

The Victorian Federation of Community Legal Centres is joining other community legal peaks today (Tuesday 15/3) to brief Federal MPs and call on the Federal Government to take urgent action in the Budget to reverse deep cuts and boost funding for free legal help.

State Coroner Ian Gray has today heeded key recommendations from a joint community legal centre submission in his findings in the inquest of Sargun Ragi, which were handed down this morning.   Sargun Ragi was killed by her partner in October 2012, and her death has prompted searching ques-tions about how the family violence system can better protect women who report a partner’s vi...

This morning’s announcement of a package of initiatives to tackle family violence, reflecting the first Cabinet decision of the Turnbull Government, is a positive indication of a greater focus on family violence but will still leave thousands of women without family violence legal help, according to the Federation of Community Legal Centres.

As community legal centres from around Australia converge on Melbourne for their national confer-ence this week, the full impact of Federal Government cuts has been revealed by new figures showing the projected funding for Victorian centres through to 2019-20.

A new National Partnership Agreement on Legal Assistance Services between state, territory and federal governments has been signed amid serious ongoing concerns over a failure to fully fund the justice gap, the impact of a significant national funding cut in 2017-18, and restrictions on advocacy campaigns by community legal centres on policy and law reform issues.   ‘States and Te...

A Federal Government proposal to means test free legal help from community legal centres will increase the risk for women facing family violence, according to the Federation of Community Legal Centres.   The proposal is included in a new funding agreement with States and Territories that Prime Minister Tony Abbott is expected to send to Premiers and Chief Ministers within days. ...

Despite the reversal of community legal centre cuts planned for Victoria in the next two years, the 2015 Federal Budget has failed to ensure that funding for legal assistance keeps pace with the growing need for free legal help among disadvantaged Victorians, according to State community legal peak, the Federation of Community Legal Centres.

A report to be released on Friday by the Federation of Community Legal Centres has made eight recommendations to address serious concerns over Protective Services Officers exceeding their powers and using excessive force.

The Federal Attorney-General George Brandis yesterday announced the reversal of significant funding cuts to the legal assistance sector over 2015-16 and 2016-17 made as part of the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) process in December 2013.

Reinstatement of two-year funding to a single community legal centre by the Federal Government has been welcomed, but leaves 13 centres in Victoria and nearly 60 centres nationally with cuts commencing on 1 July and ongoing funding uncertainty, according to the Federation of Community Legal Centres (Victoria).

The peak for Victoria’s 49 community legal centres has launched a guide supporting community legal centres’ law reform and policy work, showing centres how they can advocate effectively to change unfair laws, policies and practices.

Deep Federal cuts to community legal centres and advocacy restrictions will affect women and children at risk of family violence, and contradict the prime minister’s claimed commitment to ending family violence in his announcement of Rosie Batty as Australian of the Year.

Wednesday 24 September 2014 - for immediate release. Lawyers warn that comments by Victoria Police reported in the ABC Online regarding last night’s fatal police shooting outside the Endeavour Hills police station contravene police guidelines by pre-judging the investigation, and highlight the need for the independent investigation of police shootings.

Tuesday 5 August 2014 - for immediate release. Changes to Victoria’s coronial system set for debate in Parliament as early as this week will weaken the capacity to prevent deaths and exacerbate families’ distressing experience of inquests, according to state community legal peak, the Federation of Community Legal Centres.

Monday 26 May 2014 - for immediate release. The Victorian Government is set to break a national commitment on violence against women if it passes a flawed Bill due to be introduced into the Legislative Council next week.   In an urgent letter to National MPs whose vote will be critical, the Federation of Community Legal Centres and ten family violence and sexual assault advocacy organis...

Today’s Victorian State Budget represents a missed opportunity by the Victorian Government to com-mit vital justice investment to help the increasing number of women and children reporting family violence, according to State community legal peak, the Federation of Community Legal Centres.

Tuesday 17 September 2013 – for immediate release   Some of the parole changes being considered by the Victorian Government pose a serious risk to community safety, according to a submission sent to Corrections Minister, Edward O’Donohue, in response to the Callinan review handed down in August.   Download the Federation's submission ...

Tuesday 28 May 2013 – for immediate release   The State Government’s response to the Fels taxi inquiry has been welcomed by the Federation of Community Legal Centres. However, the State community legal peak has warned that a significant number of drivers remain exposed due to current insurance arrangements that leave many facing financial ruin when they find they are not ful...

  The Federation of Community Legal Centres has welcomed the additional $13.7 million funding for legal assistance in the 2013–2014 Victorian State Budget, but is disappointed there has been no explicit allocation to meet growing demand in the State’s community legal centres.   “The focus of the public debate has been on the impact of funding constraints on criminal ...

A new report to be launched by the ABC's Dr Norman Swan in Melbourne this morning (10.30am, Wednesday 6 March 2013) urges comprehensive national reform of Australia's flawed coronial system. The report makes 11 recommendations to ensure coronial recommendations result in meaningful, effective action to better prevent future avoidable deaths, and ensure families are properly supporte...

Tuesday 12 February 2013

The Federation of Community Legal Centres is calling for the immediate reversal of a decision late last week by Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) to cut funding for the Mental Health Legal Centre (MHLC), an independent community legal centre providing representation, advice and advocacy for people living with a mental illness in Victoria.

Community lawyers have written to Premier Ted Baillieu, urging him to adopt the proposals in the final report of the Victorian Taxi Industry Inquiry. Handed to the State Government on 28 September, the report was tabled in Parliament today.

The Federation of Community Legal Centres strongly endorses Allan Fels’ proposal to end the use of bailment in the Victorian taxi industry, and to make comprehensive insurance compulsory.  Community lawyer Lucie O’Brien said that Professor Fels’ draft recommendations were an important step towards a safer, fairer workplace for Victorian taxi drivers.

A coalition of legal and community groups has welcomed a call by the Office of Police Integrity for more public debate on Victoria Police use of controversial stop and search powers first legislated in 2009. “The OPI review tabled in parliament today has only fuelled growing doubt that police powers to stop and search people without a warrant or reasonable suspicion have gone too far,...

Community legal centres around Victoria welcomed today’s Auditor-General report on Freedom of Information in Victoria. The Auditor-General’s findings on apathy and delay within government agenciesdealing with freedom of information requests reflects the front-line experience of community lawyers with the Victorian FOI regime.

A new community law group launched its project today in response to the Government’s introduction of armed train station Protective Services Officers (PSOs) which it describes as a flawed and risky experiment that needs to be reconsidered. The group, Your Rights on Track led by Community Legal Centres and Smart Justice for Young People, representing over 30 legal, community and youth welf...

The Victorian Federation of Community Legal Centres today called on the Office of Police Integrity to investigate allegations of excessive force in Friday’s police response to the Occupy Melbourne protest.

SARC invited the Federation to provide further information on how the Charter protects the interests of victims of crime.  Our supplementary submission outlines a range of Charter rights relevant to victims, such as the right to life, the right to liberty and security of the person, and the right to privacy. We provide case studies from Europe to demonstrate how a human rights framework can be ...

Victorian community legal centres responded to today’s release of an Office of Police Integrity Report on investigating police related deaths by calling on the Victorian Government to establish an independent investigation system.

Last night’s fatal police shooting in St Kilda exposes the need for the independent investigation of police shootings and highlights the pitfalls of a media-unit lead response, say legal and human rights groups.

This opinion article which appeared in The Age on 23 March 2011 argues that better training and tactics in responding to people in crisis will reduce the rate of police shootings in Victoria.

The Coallition's plan to establish minimum sentence standards, as announced in today’s Herald Sun, will not deter crime or protect the community and will divert much needed funds away from addressing underlying issues of child neglect, homelessness, mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse says Smart Justice spokesperson Hugh de Kretser
 

12 October 2010. 

A report released today by the Victorian Federation of Community Legal Centres highlights risks around Taser use by Victoria Police. The report analyses policies and data on Victoria Police Taser use obtained by the Federation using freedom of information processes over the past 3 years.

Media release highlighting the concerns around the use of capsicum spray and the investigation of deaths in police custody.

Opinion article in The Age arguing that the current exemption from Victorian discrimination laws for religious organisations is too broad. The article responded to an opinion piece in The Age by Peter Costello. To read the Federation's two law reform submissions, click on the Law reform tab in the left hand column and choose Discrimination in Law reform submissions....

Opinion article in The Age arguing that the Bushfire Royal Commission must ensure broad participation by fire victims.

People recovering from Victorian bushfires concerned about legal issues including employment; mortgage repayment and bank interest issues; identity issues and the need for new documents including statutory declarations, can receive free legal advice at relief centres or by calling the Bushfire legal help line on 1800 113 432....

The Federation called for a comprehensive, impartial and independent investigation into the fatal shooting by police of a 15 year old boy in Northcote.

The Federation is a leading member of the Victorian Family Violence Justice Reform Campaign which has produced a Media Information Kit as part of its support for the new Family Violence Protection Act.

Opinion article discussing the falling crime rate in Victoria, the rise in the Victorian prison population and criminal justice expenditure.

The Federation contends that State Budget funding for new prisons should be diverted towards tackling the root causes of crime and promoting prisoner rehabilitation.

The Federation welcomes the announcement of the Legal Services Board grants. 14 of the 26 grants are for community legal centre projects.

The Federation urges caution over the potential expansion of Tasers to all operational police members.

Sporting clubs on bus trips, nightclub and hotel patrons, and disadvantaged groups with nowhere else to drink except in public will all be targeted under new legislation, but Parliament itself will be exempt.

The Ombudsman’s finding reveals a shocking culture of prisoner abuse at the Melbourne Custody Centre.

The Federation has released its G20 HRO Team Final Report.

Removing Suspended Sentences will effect ordinary people.

Community Representatives today declared proposed changes to counter-terrorism legislation an attack on Australian democratic freedoms.

The Federation of Community Legal Centres congratulates the State Government on a step in the right direction for disadvantaged Victorian communities.

Federation`s EO, Pauline Spencer, expresses concern at Herald Sun Editorial.