VOLUNTEERS
THE YEAR AHEAD
Volunteers significantly strengthen our
ability to respond to the legal needs
of our community. With more than 40
active volunteers at any one time our
responsiveness is greatly boosted. Para-legal
volunteers, many of whom are law students
with keen aspirations to learn as much as
they can while studying, assist with reception
and in-take roles enabling our solicitors to
maximise their time addressing the legal
issues they are presented with.
In 2014-15 we joined with other community
legal service organisations nationally to
overturn federal government threats to legal
service funding. These were direct threats not
only to specialist legal service providers but
also to many local legal services such as our
own. It was with a great deal of relief that
the unity of the sector, along with the support
of the broader Australian community, forced
the Government to a change of heart and the
withdrawal of the threat of cuts. However,
we approach the 2015-16 financial year
without certainty in relation to funding for 2
of our solicitor positions. The funding term
for these 2 lawyers ends at the end of June
2016 and current Government policy remains
that these contracts will not be renewed.
We will continue our advocacy efforts to
ensure that we can successfully defend our
services and we remain committed to our
conviction to grow our team and increase the
quantity, quality and breadth of legal work we
undertake on behalf of our community.
We also benefit from the volunteer and
pro-bono contribution of qualified lawyers
who provide legal advice, information and
consultation to residents on our behalf. Our
capacity to undertake Casework, increases
the numbers which comes off the back of
our committed group of volunteers and they
form an important role in the expansion of
opportunities to access the justice system for
many Whittlesea residents.
We are justly proud of our volunteer team
and thank them for their contributions.
COMMUNITY LEGAL EDUCATION
LAW REFORM
Throughout 2014-15 our legal team provided
many community legal education sessions
on various legal topics. We completed
many Family Violence information sessions,
particularly with local culturally and
linguistically diverse (CALD) communities,
as part of the Whittlesea CALD Communities
Family Violence Project; we provided session
to a range of community groups covering
various topics including family law, wills
information sessions and sessions on the
services of WCLS to NMIT students.
Our law reform work has continued with our
on-going involvement with the Infringements
Working Group of The Federation of
Community Legal Centres. We have also led
the way in promoting the legal needs of
those experiencing family violence and our
legal team were at the forefront of special
projects to tackle the impact of this spiralling
and acute issue for our community. Our legal
team have been instrumental in informing
our responses and submission to the Victorian
Family Violence Royal Commission.
Whittlesea Community Connections Annual Report 2014 -15
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