News
Just In: Shepparton Night Service opens 9 February 2010
- Wednesday, 20 January 2010
The Loddon Campaspe CLC is pleased to announce that the Shepparton Night Service opens for business on 9 February 2010.
The Goulburn Valley Community Legal Service Pilot Nght Service will be staffed by local volunteer solicitors and managed by the Loddon Campaspe CLC in partnership with Uniting Care Cutting Edge. It will operate on Tuesday nights from 6-8pm by appointment (call the Loddon Campaspe CLC’s Bendigo office on 1800 629 121 to make an appointment).
The Night Service operates from 139 Maude St, Shepparton (opposite Uniting Care Cutting Edge).
Telephone Advice is also available for Goulburn Valley residents by calling 1800 639 121 on
- Mondays 2-4pm
- Thursdays 10.30am-12.30pm
Face-to-face appointments in Shepparton are available where required. Please call 1800 639 121 for more information. For more information about the pilot service in Shepparton, see Pilot Community Legal Centre for Goulburn Valley below.
e-news
- Tuesday, 22 December 2009
IN THIS ISSUE
CLC Solicitor named White Ribbon Ambassador
On 25 November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women) the Loddon Campaspe CLC's Principal Solicitor, Peter Noble, was named one of Bendigo's ten 2009 White Ribbon Day Ambassadors. Peter was recognised for his work establishing the centre's successful Family Violence Legal Assistance Service.
Bendigo Mayor Kevin Gibbins publicly announced the city's 2009 Ambassadors at an event in the Civic Gardens. Bendigo's other 2009 White Ribbon Day Ambassadors are:
Peter spoke about the impact of family violence in the Loddon Campaspe Region. He noted that conservative estimates put the number of Bendigo women who "experienced at least one incident of physical and/or sexual violence by a man in the last 12 months at between 2,500 and 5,000 women".
Phil Cleary, football identity and anti-violence campaigner, spoke of the loss of his sister to domestic violence and the need for men to "draw a line in the sand". Mr Cleary told the audience that White Ribbon Day challenged men to stand up to their mates when they expressed violent attitudes or behaviours to women. He said it was fine for men to be sympathetic and supportive of their mates, but that supporting violent behaviour (even by doing nothing) was "not on".
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Pilot Community Legal Centre for Goulburn Valley
On 16 December the Loddon Campaspe CLC and Uniting Care Cutting Edge launched a report in Shepparton detailing the need for a community legal centre in the Goulburn Valley and opened a pilot legal outreach service in Shepparton for people living in the Greater Shepparton, Mitchell, Strathbogie and Moira Shires.
After consultation with Goulburn agencies, the Loddon Campaspe CLC decided to establish a pilot service in partnership with Uniting Care Cutting Edge to respond to the unmet legal needs of people living in this region.
The pilot service will deliver telephone advice and offer face-to-face appointments. The Telephone Advice Service operates:
Mondays from 2-4pm
Thursdays from 10.30am-12.30pm
Freecall 1800 639 121
Follow up face-to-face consultations in Shepparton can be arranged by appointment. Please contact the Loddon Campaspe CLC's Bendigo office to make an appointment on 5444 4364 or 1800 639 121 (if calling from outside Bendigo).
The CLC's existing fortnightly outreach advice service to Echuca (alternate Tuesdays 1-3.30pm) can also be accessed by appointment.
The CLC's solicitors can provide assistance in relation to a range of legal issues, including:
If you would like to read more about the campaign to establish a permanent community legal centre in the Goulburn Valley, visit the Loddon Campaspe CLC's website where you can download: Access to Justice in the Goulburn Valley: Responding to unmet legal need through Community Legal Services.
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Family Violence Service extended to Echuca
The Loddon Campaspe CLC's Family Violence Legal Assistance Service has been extended to Echuca. The service is provided at the Echuca Courts every second Tuesday. The service provides free legal assistance and support to people who are victims of family and domestic violence and who are applying for an Intervention Order. Respondents are generally assisted by a Duty Lawyer from Victoria Legal Aid (VLA), but if VLA are conflicted out we are happy to consider assisting respondents.
The Family Violence Legal Assistance Service is also provided at the Bendigo Magistrates' Court every Wednesday and at the Maryborough Magistrates' Court every second Tuesday. Please ask for the service at the Court reception (or the Court Network desk in Bendigo).
You can also telephone the Loddon Campaspe CLC for free legal advice on Monday afternoons from 1-4pm or Thursday mornings from 9.30am-12.30pm (5444 4364 or 1800 639 121 (if calling from outside Bendigo).
Alternatively, you can make an appointment to see a solicitor at our Bendigo office or at our fortnightly Maryborough and Echuca outreach services. Please call 5444 4364 or 1800 639 121 (if calling from outside Bendigo) for more information or to make an appointment to speak with one of our solicitors.
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Plan now for the fire season
Following the Black Saturday fires in February this year, the Loddon Campaspe CLC teamed up with local lawyers to deliver free legal advice to affected residents at the Eaglehawk Recovery Centre. Several government and non-government agencies also came together to form Bushfire Legal Help. This free service provided advice to those affected by the fires and produced legal fact sheets and a handbook with information on a range of fire related issues, including:
The Loddon Campaspe CLC and other agencies assisting victims found that two common issues faced were insurance coverage and the loss of personal documents and records. Many people lost documents and records (eg academic, insurance, wills, car registration etc) that were difficult or impossible to replace and whose loss made recovery more time consuming and difficult.
Many people also found that their insurance was inadequate (eg it did not allow for rental accommodation while they rebuilt, or allow for the cost of site cleaning).
Before this summer's fire season really kicks in, check your insurance policy to see what it covers and, if necessary, talk to your insurer about your needs.
It's also a good time to think about safeguarding your personal documents and records. Some people choose to store their personal documents in a secure location with a friend or family member living in the city or a safer area until the fire season is over.
The Bushire Legal Help website (www.bushfirelegalhelp.org.au) has a new section titled "Getting Prepared for the Coming Bushfire Season" with contact details for numerous agencies across Victoria who can provide you with relevant information and advice.
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New legal resources
Fitzroy Legal Service recently showcased www.law4community.org.au (its new community portal) at the Victorian Legal Assistance Forum at the Capital Theatre in Bendigo (see below). This site directs clients with a legal problem to the most appropriate service. The site guides community workers through a simple three-step process which pinpoints the most appropriate service for their client. It also provides checklists that workers should consult which raise other legal and social issues that the client may be experiencing but has not mentioned.
Fitzroy Legal Service also recently published Between a Rock and a Hard Place - a community worker's manual to the legal system. This comprehensive guide takes a welfare perspective of the law and is an excellent starting point for workers in disability, youth, drug and alcohol and other community/welfare sectors that need to understand the legal system but don't want to get bogged down by the law.
It contains detailed referral information, tips on warning signs and ideas for what can be done when it seems the law won't work. Between a Rock and Hard Place covers:
It also explains professional responsibilities such as privacy and confidentiality, duty of care and the impact of the introduction of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights.
Between a Rock and Hard Place is free. To obtain your copy, contact the Fitzroy Legal Service on 9419 3744.
Another new publication is the 2nd edition of Getting past your past: moving on from a police record in Victoria, published by North Melbourne Legal Service. Have you ever wondered if you can still volunteer with a police record? Wondered if a police record will prevent you from travelling overseas? Found guilty "without conviction" but never really known what this means? This useful booklet answers these and many other common questions. The booklet is available for download from the North Melbourne Legal Service website: www.nmls.org.au/community-education .
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Victorian Legal Assistance Forum comes to Bendigo
On 12 November representatives from several Bendigo community, government and non-government agencies attended the Victorian Legal Assistance Forum at the Capital Theatre. The forum was delivered in partnership with the Bendigo Legal Assistance Forum, which has representatives from the Advocacy and Rights Centre (incorporating the Social Housing Advocacy and Support Program [SHASP], the Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre and Seniors Rights Victoria), Victoria Legal Aid (Bendigo), Consumer Affairs Victoria (Bendigo), Bendigo Courts and the Department of Human Services.
The forum aimed to improve the community's awareness of legal and advocacy services in our region. The forum also sought community input into legal issues of common concern. Participants shared stories about significant legal difficulties faced by clients. The forum identified the following key issues:
Participants identified legal education aimed at young people and delivered at youth services and locations as a priority.
For more information about the Victorian Legal Assistance Forum, visit their website at www.vlaf.org.au.
The Bendigo Legal Assistance Forum will meet in early 2010. If you would like more information please email Steve Womersley.
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Specialist CLCs deliver community legal education in Bendigo
In recent months the Loddon Campaspe CLC has facilitated a number of community legal education sessions in Bendigo. On 11 August Fitzroy Legal Service delivered "Resourcing the Community to Access Justice". This half-day workshop was a great opportunity to showcase the new online version of The Law Handbook, which has been an invaluable reference for lawyers, community workers, activists and members of the public on how the law works in Victoria since 1977.
The workshop took participants through the online version of the handbook (www.lawhandbook.org.au) whose in-depth chapters are complemented by 39 fact sheets and links to other online legal resources, services and contacts. The site is easy to navigate and the content is comprehensive, easy to read and regularly updated. Recommended reading.
On 23 September Job Watch (a specialist community legal centre) presented a workshop on the new Commonwealth Fair Work Act 2009 and on Victorian laws in relation to bullying, sexual assault and discrimination. This free four-hour session for community workers and lawyers was very well attended and received.
On 10 November the Public Interest Law Clearinghouse (PILCH) delivered "Using Human Rights to Protect Women Against Violence: A Regional Workshop for Women's Rights Advocates". The workshop showed participants how to use International Human Rights conventions to deliver systemic outcomes for women. It was also a great opportunity to check out Bendigo's new Centre for Non-Violence. Many thanks to the Emergency Accommodation and Support Enterprise (EASE) for making this space available.
If you would like to be updated on upcoming community legal education sessions in Bendigo, please email Steve Womersley or follow us at http://twitter.com/lcclc.
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Social Housing and Advocacy Support Program (SHASP)
The Loddon Campapse CLC is one of two programs delivered by the Advocacy and Rights Centre. The other program is the Social Housing and Advocacy Support Program (or SHASP for short).
SHASP helps public tenants, vulnerable private rental tenants and consumers and is independent of the Office of Housing. SHASP can help people with:
SHASP provides outreach services to Echuca, Maryborough, Kyabram, Swan Hill and Castlemaine. SHASP also has an ofice in Mildura.
For enquiries about this service, please contact our Bendigo office on 5444 4364 or 1800 639 121 (if calling from outside Bendigo) or our Mildura office on 5023 5966.
SHASP is open over the Xmas holiday period except for public holidays.
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Children's Rights Forum in Bendigo
Children's Rights Forum in Bendigo
On 20 November 2009 (the 20th Anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) a two-hour forum was held at Eaglehawk Primary School that looked at how human rights apply when working with children and young people.
The forum was an opportunity for local youth workers, teachers, counsellors, early childhood professionals and medical professionals to learn and reflect on how children's rights relate to their daily work.
The forum was presented by Bendigo's Child Friendly City Leadership Group (of which the Loddon Campaspe CLC is a member) and presenters included Youthlaw (a specialist community legal centre) and FKA Children's Services.
The forum was followed by a performance of Fred's Fair Play: Human Rights are Aussie Rules, produced by CARP Productions. This fun show dramatized basic human rights principles for the students and forum participants.
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Homeless Persons' Legal Clinic
The Bendigo Homeless Persons' Legal Clinic continues to provide free legal advice to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. The service operates from St Luke's every Friday morning from 10am-12pm. Bookings can be made through St Luke's on 5440 1100.
The Clinic provides free legal advice in relation to:
In recent months the Loddon Campaspe CLC's Homeless Persons' Legal Clinic Solicitor, Paula Glassborow, has worked with lawyers from Melbourne to deliver training to local community workers and lawyers on issues including human rights, infringements and tenancy. If you would like to be updated on upcoming training sessions in 2010, please email Paula Glassborow.
The Homeless Persons' Legal Clinic is run in partnership with the Public Interest Law Clearinghouse (PILCH ) and with the assistance of Bendigo law firms Arnold, Dallas, McPherson and Stella Stuthridge and Associates.
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Seniors Rights Victoria in Bendigo
Seniors Rights Victoria provides free legal advice and casework to older persons who are experiencing or at risk of elder abuse. The service has offices in Melbourne and a small team based at the Loddon Campaspe CLC. It is a multi-disciplinary servicem which provides legal assistance as well as short-term advocacy.
The service deals mostly with financial, emotional and psychological abuse. It also offers community education sessions on topics such as Powers of Attorney, Advanced Care Directives and protecting your finances.
If your agency or community group would like the service to talk with your staff or members, please contact Seniors Rights Victoria (Bendigo) on 5444 4364 or 1800 639 121 (if calling from outside Bendigo).
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Advocacy and Rights Centre Xmas hours
The Loddon Campaspe CLC will close on 24 December 2009 and reopen on 4 January 2010. The Social Housing and Advocacy Support Program (SHASP) will remain open over the Xmas period except for public holidays. It can be contacted on 5444 4364 or 1800 639 121 (if calling from outside Bendigo).
Legal Emergencies
If you have a legal emergency over the Xmas period, please contact Victoria Legal Aid on 5448 2333 or 1800 254 500.
Loddon Campapse CLC Telephone Advice Service
Monday 1-4pm
Thursday 9.30am-12.30pm
Goulburn Valley Pilot Telephone Advice
Monday 2-4pm
Thursday 10.30am-12.30pm
Loddon Campapse CLC Evening Advice Service
Wednesday 6-8pm, by appointment
Loddon Campapse CLC Day Service
Thursday 1-4pm, by appointment.
Loddon Campapse CLC Outreach
By appointment at Echuca, Maryborough, Kyneton and Shepparton.
Family Violence Prevention Legal Service
Bendigo Courts every Wednesday morning and Maryborough and Echuca Courts every second Tuesday morning. For more information contact our Bendigo office on 5444 4364 or 1800 639 121 (if calling from outside Bendigo).
Seniors Rights Victoria
Monday to Friday 10am-5pm. Please call Seniors Information Victoria on 1300 368 821 (10am-5pm Monday to Friday) or Loddon Campaspe CLC on 5444 4364 or 1800 639 121 (9am-5pm Monday to Friday).
Homeless Persons' Legal Clinic
St Luke's Anglicare, 175 Hargreaves St, Bendigo
Every Friday, 10am-12pm. For appointments, please call St Luke's on 5440 1100 or contact the Homeless Persons' Legal Clinic direct on 1800 603 313.
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