Whittlesea Community Legal Service
Law Reform
Community Legal Education
We are currently affiliated with the Infringements
Working Group of The Federation of Community Legal
Centres and with a representative from WCLS attending
meetings held at Justice Connect. This working group
continues to lobby the Victorian Government to reform
the complex Infringements system and introduce a more
streamlined approach based largely on the much more
workable New South Wales system. The Fines Reform Bill
is currently before Parliament. Detailed submissions to
the government from the Infringements Working Group,
Justice Connect and Youth law have contributed to the
formulation of this bill.
We have carried out extensive Community Legal
Education sessions 2013-2014. 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. Sessions were
delivered to a range of community groups covering
various topics including family law, wills information
sessions and information sessions on the services of WCLS
to NMIT students.
Partnership with Victoria Legal Aid
The work of the WCLS depends heavily on the
contribution of local people who volunteer their
valuable time, skills and expertise to assist others in their
community. Law students (and others) act as reception
and in-take workers, assist as paralegals and undertake
important legal research tasks that ensure we are able to
deliver all of our legal services. We are also very fortunate
to have an extensive group of experienced solicitors who
volunteer on our weekly Monday Night Legal Service
and thus provide an invaluable resource to the people of
Whittlesea.
Following the closure of the Preston office of Victoria
Legal Aid in 2013, we have negotiated an agreement
with Victoria Legal Aid to establish an Outreach Service at
Whittlesea Community Connections. The outreach service
comprises: Criminal, Family and Civil law services on a
fortnightly basis.
Partnership with Women’s Legal Service
With our ever increasing number of family law clients, we
have now moved to expand our family law service. In the
very near future, we will commence a Duty Law service, in
conjunction with the service already operated by Women’s
Legal Service at the Federal Circuit Court in the city.
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Volunteers
To all our volunteers we extend our thanks and
appreciation.