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Every Thursday, Katrina Ironside, Senior Solicitor with Women’s Legal Service NSW, heads for the office of Bonnie Women’s Services in Canley Heights. Bonnie’s provides accommodation, crisis and other support services to women escaping domestic violence in the Fairfield and Liverpool areas of south-west Sydney.

For justice advocates, Budget Estimates sessions provide an important opportunity to dig into the details of government policy and gain crucial information about priority areas of law reform. 

We chat with Natalie Ross, who may be new to the role of Principal Solicitor at Welfare Rights Centre but has dedicated her career to working in the sector.

26-29 August 2019 | This year's National CLCs Conference is being held in Brisbane on 26-29 August, hosted by Community Legal Centres Queensland. This year's theme is 'Power, Purpose, Possibilities'.

We're delighted to welcome a new member to the Community Legal Centres NSW family — International Social Service Australia (ISSA). Based in Sydney and Melbourne, ISSA provides social work, legal and mediation services to families and children across international borders. To learn more about the organisation, we asked their Managing Lawyer, Rebecca Chapman.

12 September 2019 | A Legal Training Day for our members, with individual and panel presentations on legal topics including human rights, migrant worker rights, risk management, Legal Aid NSW conflict of interest policy, and wills and estates.

 10-11 September 2019 | The Community Legal Centres NSW Quarterlies are two-day community legal centre sector network and training opportunities held in Sydney four times a year.

Policy Focus | Mark Holden (Solicitor, Financial Rights Legal Centre) examines the recommendations of the Financial Services Royal Commission concerning Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

Policy Focus | Social security systems play a critical role preventing people who are locked out of paid work from falling into poverty while they try to get their lives back on track. In this article, the National Social Security Rights Network reflects on the 2019-20 Federal Budget, and the impacts on people struggling to make ends meet of another missed opportunity to raise the rate of working-age social security payments in Australia.

Policy Focus | Mark Riboldi, Advocacy and Communications Manager at Community Legal Centres NSW highlights the importance of community-led justice reinvestment.

Initial response from Community Legal Centres NSW, peak organisation for 37 NSW-based community legal centres, to the release of funding agreements from 2019-2022 for NSW Government funding for the Community Legal Service Program:

Policy Focus | People with intellectual disability experience unique barriers to effective early engagement with support services. This article explores some of these barriers and a new initiative to address them.

 The final make-up of the NSW upper house was determined on Monday, 15 April when the NSW Electoral Commission ‘pressed the button’ to allocate final preferences. Community Legal Centre NSW's Advocacy & Communications Manager Mark Riboldi examines what the new Upper House means for the community legal sector.

 A summary of Community Legal Centres NSW's submission to the Their Futures Matter Consultation (2019).

 In this article, Community Legal Centres NSW's Mark Riboldi unpacks the 2019 NSW Election and what it means for the community legal sector.

Mid North Coast Community Legal Centre (MNCCLC) launched its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) on 4 April. Since opening its doors in 2011, MNCCLC has worked hard on fostering positive relationships and meaningful engagement with the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.

In warmly welcoming the continuation of Mark Speakman as Attorney General of NSW, peak community law organisation Community Legal Centres NSW has outlined three key areas of reform for the new government to ensure that more people in NSW have access to justice.

“The community law sector welcomes the opportunity to continue working with Attorney General Mark Speakman. A new four year term for the Liberal/National Coalition government presents a fresh opportunity for reforms which benefit people and communities, while taking pressure off the justice system and other public services,” Community Legal Centres NSW Chairperson Katrina Ironside said.

Summary of joint submission to the Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition Relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.