Big Yarn Up and RRR Summit

CLCNSW will be hosting the Big Yarn Up and RRR Summit on Birpai Country in Port Macquarie from 22 – 24 July 2025, at Sails by Ridges.

Registrations for the Summit are now closed.

The Big Yarn Up and RRR Summit is a rare and exciting opportunity to unite Community Legal Centres (CLCs) operating in rural, regional, and remote (RRR) areas for a three-day, in-person event focused on professional development, knowledge exchange, and sector-wide collaboration.

This Summit will provide a tailored environment for learning, sharing best practices, and fostering professional connections. It will explore the unique challenges faced by legal professionals working in RRR communities and encourage face-to-face interactions, which are often limited by geographical constraints.

Program

View the full Summit Program

A brief summary of each day is provided below:

Day 1: The Big Yarn Up – The Summit kicks off with The Big Yarn Up, a day run by First Nations workers for First Nations workers. This is a day dedicated to tailored training and connection building, featuring:

Our Voices, Our Employment with Aunty Julie Perkins: Reflecting on the journey of Aboriginal employment in the legal assistance sector — where we’ve been, where we’re heading, and how we can strengthen and sustain a culturally safe and empowered First Nations workforce.
Shifts and Shields: A Domestic and Family Violence Yarn: Cultural strategies and frontline insights into keeping women and families safe when systems fall short.
Who Can We Trust? How to work with local police, build accountability, and call out poor conduct.
Boundary Lines: Navigating Colonial Expectations: Confidence-building tools for managing demands, protecting your energy, and sharing — not shouldering — the load.

Day 2: CLCs Day – On day two Big Yarn Up attendees will be joined by Specialist and RRR CLCs from across the state for a day of learning, collaboration, and innovation. Highlights include:

Specialist Service Showcase: See how statewide specialists can support RRR areas.
Remote Supervision Workshop: Tackling the challenges of supporting teams across distance.
AI and Tech in Practice: Get hands-on with the tools transforming the way we work.
Collaboration Corner: Explore partnerships, workshop service gaps, and gear up for Phase 4 accreditation.

Day 3: Community Partners Day – We close the Summit by welcoming community partners into the conversation. Sessions will focus on:

Legal Capacity in RRR Areas: Building stronger services through cross-sector connectivity.
Care and Protection: Co-designing place-based agreements that work for local communities.
Stronger Partnerships with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations: Learning, listening, and building together.
Climate Justice and Innovation: Exploring the frontline role of CLCs and the importance of service collaboration in responding to the climate crisis in RRR areas.

Specialist Service Showcase display

We will be hosting a showcase on Wednesday 23 July where state-wide specialist CLC services can connect with RRR centres to promote their programs and services and build relationships with RRR staff. This showcase will take place during an extended 45-minute morning tea break at 11.00am in the Pavilion.

Specialist services are encouraged to set up a small display with a pop-up banner, branded tablecloth (or similar identifying branding) and provide information while the RRR centre attendees are encouraged to walk around the room and talk to staff with a display. Trestle tables can also be provided to display materials and flyers, however please keep these to a minimum and ensure that any unused materials are taken away with you.

If your specialist service would like a display at the showcase, please register your display here.

Get involved as a sponsor

We are seeking sponsorship and presentation partnerships for this event, and would love to talk to you about supporting us.

Download our Sponsorship proposal.

If you have an idea or a suggestion for a presentation, a speaker or some content that you would be interested in please get in touch: chloew@clcnsw.org.au

Attendance

Register for the RRR Summit here!

Accommodation

Check our Accommodation Information for details if you are traveling to the Summit from out of town. There is a discount code at both local Rydges hotels for attendees traveling to Port Macquarie for the Summit - Sails by Ridges, and the Rydges in the city centre. The Sails location is now booked out on the Wednesday night, 23 July.

Subsidies for travel and accommodation

Applications are still open for CLCs to request travel and accommodation subsidies. Please read the RRR subsidy guidelines and Accommodation Information prior to completing your application form.