The primary mission of our Indigenous Access Worker is to help remove barriers that Indigenous people may face in accessing legal services. The Indigenous Access Worker provides support, information and referrals to clients who receive legal aid from the Centre. They are not lawyers and cannot provide legal advice, but they may contact you after receiving legal assistance to see if there are other supports we can offer. Low-income people were considered to be at a disadvantage in terms of the level of legal assistance they could access, as opposed to litigants with much more resources. Your rights matter! Get help with day-to-day legal issues and money worries This ensures that we put you in touch with relevant services and support when you need it. It also helps us identify other legal issues that may be relevant to you. Illawarra Legal Centre (Warrawong) T: (02) 4276 1939 Rental line: (02) 4274 3475 or 1800 807 225 W: www.illawarralegalcentre.org.au E: illawarra_nsw@clc.net.au Community legal centres (`CLCs`) were established in response to the significant lack of access to legal services for a large part of the Community. The CLCNSW itself does not provide legal advice to members of the public. The office is able to assist applicants for legal advice by referring them to an appropriate legal service provider.

How can community legal centres help you?: ALS does legal work in criminal law, custody and child protection law, and family law. It also carries out political and legislative reform work. [4] In 1971, the service received state funding to provide a full-time lawyer, field worker, and secretary, and the service was able to open a storefront in Redfern. The Aboriginal Legal Service has been transformed into a non-legal association. Aboriginal participation in the management and delivery of services has been critical to community acceptance. The service was elected to its Board of Directors and hired as field officers for various Indigenous communities to ensure that the provision of Indigenous legal services was culturally appropriate. [9] In 1991, the report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Deaths in Custody (RCIADIC) recommended that Aboriginal legal services conduct research on legal reform and the provision of legal services. Als was the first organization to operate a Custody Notification Service (CDS) after its inception in 2000 in response to RCIADIC recommendations. [10] In 1970, a public meeting was held at St. Luke`s Presbyterian Church in Redfern to propose an organization that would become the Aboriginal Legal Service. [1] Indigenous activists and lawyers, including Paul Coe,[2][3] Isobel Coe, Gary Williams, Gary Foley and Tony Coorey founded the Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) in Redfern, a suburb of Sydney. [4] J.

H. Wooten, then a professor of law at the University of New South Wales and later a judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, helped establish the service[5] and draft applications for funding. [6] From the beginning, it was staffed with volunteers who provided free legal advice and representation to Indigenous Peoples in response to the increase in cases of indigenous harassment and indiscriminate arrest, abuse and intimidation. [7] [8] With the profound changes to the New South Wales Legal Aid Commission`s legal aid policy, it is now more difficult to obtain funding for criminal legal aid. The role of community legal centres has become increasingly important, as many of those who are not entitled to legal aid and cannot afford a private lawyer have to rely on their services more than ever. In 2006, the six New South Wales Aboriginal Legal Services and the ACT were merged in response to the funding crisis triggered by the Howard Government that the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) had abolished in 2003 and instead introduced a tendering process for the provision of legal aid to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Macquarie Legal Centre (Parramatta) T: (02) 8833 0911 W: www.macquarielegal.org.au E: Macquarie_nsw@clc.net.au The emergence of CLCs in Australia began in 1971 with a group of law students from Monash University setting up a legal advisory service at the Melbourne Citizens Advice Bureau. Central Coast Legal Centre (Wyong) T: (02) 4353 4988 W: www.centralcoastlegalcentre.org.au E: admin_cclc@clc.net.au The biggest obstacle identified to obtaining legal assistance for low-income people related to the high cost of legal services. The application of the means-tested legal aid guidelines was considered an important factor in denying access to legal aid to low-income individuals (including part-time, self-employed and low-paid full-time workers) who could not afford a private lawyer. Kingsford Legal Centre (University of New South Wales) P: (02) 93859566 W: www.kingsfordlegalcente.org.au E: legal@unsw.edu.au The service was Australia`s first free legal service and established the model for community legal aid, municipal legal centres and Aboriginal services across Australia. All Indigenous clients who have been booked for legal advice will be offered the opportunity to be contacted by the Indigenous Access Worker. CLCs are independent community organizations that provide fair and accessible legal services.

New South Wales CLCs work for the public interest, particularly for disadvantaged and marginalised individuals and communities. CLCs not only provide legal advice and support, but also encourage and empower people to develop skills to become their own lawyers. They promote human rights, social justice and a better environment by advocating for access to justice and just laws and systems. The centres strive to bring about systemic change through municipal legal education, as well as through legal and policy reforms. If you have any questions about the Civil Law Service for Aboriginal Communities, please contact us at 1800 793 017 or (02) 9219 5057 or by email at clsac@legalaid.nsw.gov.au. The Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) (ALS), also known as the Aboriginal Legal Service, is a community-based organisation in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, established in 1970 to provide legal services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, and based in Sydney`s inner suburb of Redfern. It now has offices in New South Wales and ACT, with a head office in Castlereagh Street, Sydney and a branch in Regent Street, Redfern. CLCs offer a range of free legal services that complement those offered by Legal Aid NSW. Legal Aid NSW is in a stronger position to provide high-quality legal services to many more people across the state by bringing valuable community connections to its partnership.

We help people connect to other services they need. Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre (Lismore) P: (02) 6621 1000 or 1800 689 889 Rental Line: (02) 6621 1022 or 1800 649 135 WDV Advocacy Service: (02) 6621 1044 or 1300 720 606 W: www.nrclc.org.au E: nrclc@clc.net.au Hunter Community Legal Centre (Newcastle) T: (02) 4926 3220 or 1800 650 073 W: www.hunterclc.org.au E: hunter_nsw@clc.net.au Our Aboriginal Access Worker provides cultural awareness training to all Staff and volunteers of the Center. We also offer this training to other community organizations. At LY Lawyers, we are proud to have a partnership with the South West Legal Centre and look to the future for further partnerships with other CLCs. The Central Coast Aboriginal Wills Program is a free service for Aboriginal people living, working or studying on the central coast of New South Wales. The program helps Aboriginal people talk to a lawyer and create a standard (simple) will.