First Nations

Jingle Bills: Addressing Christmas Debt

 
Overspending at Christmas can be the worst start to new year for a lot of people. In this episode we speak with two of Legal Aid’s Financial Counselors about some of the spending traps people can fall into at Christmas and give some information about tools and services available for people to gain control over their spending.
Jeanine is from the Civil Law Service for Aboriginal Communities or ‘CLSAC’. We are a service of Legal Aid NSW. CLSAC goes to communities in NSW and visits Aboriginal women in custody. The majority of CLSAC staff are Aboriginal people.
Baryulgil
Maclean
Brewarrina
Mt Druitt
Lake Cargelligo
Batemans Bay
Malabugilmah
Condobolin
Tabulam
 
Bodalla
Mogo
Coraki
Toomelah
 
Boggabilla
Moree
Dareton
Wallaga Lake
 
Bourke
Moruya
East Dubbo
Yamba
 
CLSAC goes to these communities:
 
Sharon is a member of the Consumer team in our Civil Law division.
Both CLSAC and the Consumer team are a part of the Civil Law division of Legal Aid NSW.
The civil law practice helps resolve legal issues that impact on people's everyday lives such as debts, unpaid fines, discrimination, tenancy issues, Centrelink disputes and more. Our focus is on helping people to resolve legal issues as early as possible.
Budgeting tools: https://moneysmart.gov.au/
Law Access: 1300 888 529 debt and credit (nsw.gov.au)
CLSAC (Jeanine): 1800 793 017 and 02 9219 5057
Consumer Team (Sharon): consumer@legalaid.nsw.gov.au
Link to Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/0STHGy05vH5NluI_poQok_x3VfE
Financial Rights Legal Centre: Financial Rights Legal Centre - Advice and advocacy for consumers in financial stress.
Acknowledgments
The music in our Law for Community Workers on the go podcasts is Blue Highway by Podington Bear licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution Non-Commercial 3.0 Licence https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ Legal Aid NSW has met all our legal copyright and intellectual property obligations in the preparation of these podcasts

Extra help with your fines - Revenue NSW Hardship program for young people and First Nations people

In this episode we speak with Isabella Wallington and Bud Crawford from the Revenue NSW Hardship Program. This Program commenced in 2020 and aims to implement a range of strategies to reduce the negative impact of fines debt on vulnerable young people and First Nations people. You will hear about a range of initiatives underway and what is planned for 2021 and beyond. We also talk about how you can help your vulnerable clients speak to Revenue NSW to take advantage of these initiatives and break the cycle of disadvantage associated with fines debt.
To get in touch with Revenue NSW and for help with fines - referrals and more information
To contact us on behalf of your customers about managing a debt and to access the Advocacy Hotline, you and any individual employees who may deal with us will need to  register with us. During registration, you will need to acknowledge that you’ve read and agreed to the Advocacy  Charter https://www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/help-centre/resources-library/advocate-charter . The Charter ensures advocates understand where they stand with us. It establishes a common understanding of the obligations and standards of conduct and behaviour expected of our advocates.  Information on how to register etc. is available from the following RNSW website link https://www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/fines-and-fees/advocates For more information, visit advocates and sponsors. 
The Revenue NSW Advocacy Hotline provides advocacy groups a priority service and it is supported Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm. The hotline number is 1300 135 627
Revenue NSW WDO and First Nations Hotline – 1300 478 879
Revenue NSW brochure – help with your fines = getting back on track brochure for young people - https://www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/help-centre/resources-library/fines-getting-back-on-track-youth.pdf
Revenue NSW brochure – help with your fines = getting back on track brochure for First Nations people - https://www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/help-centre/resources-library/fines-getting-back-on-track-aboriginal-peoples.pdf
For free legal help call LawAccess NSW on 1300 888 529
For information about work and development orders (WDOs) to clear NSW fines – go to the Legal Aid NSW WDO service web page - https://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/what-we-do/civil-law/work-and-development-order-service
For information about the Cooperative Legal Service Delivery (CLSD) program, regions and contact in your local area – go to https://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/what-we-do/community-partnerships/cooperative-legal-services-delivery-clsd-program
Edited by Bernadette Nguyen from Audiocraft.

Hard conversations-Episode 2: Working with First Nations communities and elder abuse: Central Coast Community Legal Centre and Legal Aid NSW

'Hard conversations' is a 6 part podcast series exploring the complexity of elder abuse.
In this second episode we will hear from:
Barry Duncan(BJ); an Aboriginal Access Worker with the Central Coast Community Legal Centre, and also the Darkinjung Aboriginal Land Council who will talk about his work with Elders;
Scott Hawkins - manager of the Aboriginal Service Unit at Legal Aid NSW who will talk about things community organisations can do to engage with Aboriginal communities, and
Terri a First Nations Elder from the Central Coast, who talks about the complexities of abuse. 
Throughout this series you will hear from lots of different people about their understanding of elder abuse, the ways they think about it in their communities and how we can start to address it together.
There is no one right answer, there are lots of things we can do to help people who may be experiencing or are at risk of elder abuse and we will talk about some of them.
This series has been made in partnership with the Legal Aid NSW Central Coast Elder Abuse Service, and the Central Coast Community Legal Centre. 
Other episodes of hard conversations:
Ep1: Talking about elder abuse
Ep3: Working with CALD communities
Ep4: Engaging with diverse communities
Ep5: Rural and regional communities
Ep6: Dr Kay Patterson Age Discrimination Commissioner
Referrals and more information
Legal Aid NSW 1300 888 529 and Legal Aid NSW Elder Abuse Service (Central Coast) 02 4324 5611
Central Coast Community Legal Centre 02 4353 4988
Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council – 02 4351 2930
NSW Aboriginal Land Councils – 02 9689 4444
Mingaletta - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation – 02 4324 7515
Ageing and Disability Abuse Helpline - 1800 628 221
Seniors Rights Service NSW 1800 424 079
Seniors Rights Service Reconciliation Action Plan 
ConnectAbility – 02 4962 1000
OPAN (Older Persons Advocacy Network) – 1800 700 600
Elder abuse support and mediation service - Relationships Australia 1300 364 277
Staying home leaving violence
1800 respect - 1800 737 732
COTA NSW – 1800 449 102
Carers NSW - 1800 242 636
https://www.compass.info/– resources and support directory
LawAccess
Speak my language: A community radio project from the Ethnic Communities Council
Settlement Services International and Northern Settlement Services 49 693 399 43 343 877(Central Coast)
If you need an interpreter, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.
Music produced by Gambirra. 
Edited by Jessica Sullivan Legal Aid NSW
Please send your questions, comments and feedback to: cle@legalaid.nsw.gov.au
 

The Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme

Applications to the Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme have been extended to 30 June 2023. For more information, visit shorturl.at/gEIKZ
 
TRIGGER WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander listeners are advised that the following program contains sensitive and confronting content.
‘The Stolen Generations Reparations Scheme enables ex gratia payments of $75,000 to Stolen Generations survivors who were removed by, committed to, or otherwise came to be in the care of the Aborigines Protection or Welfare Boards under the Aborigines Protection Act 1909, up until the Act was repealed on 2 June 1969.
In this episode you will hear from solicitors Teela Reid and Merinda Dutton who at the time of recording were both working for the Civil Law Service for Aboriginal Communities. You will also hear excerpts from a video produced by Charmaine Mumbulla, about the impact ‘the act of removal’ has had on several of Legal Aid NSW employees, and their families.
Referrals and more information
Aboriginal Affairs NSW factsheets. For more information phone: 1800 019 998 or email: generations@aboriginalaffairs.nsw.gov.au
knowmore legal service 1800 605 762
National Redress Scheme 1800 737 377
Part 1: The National Redress Scheme — in response to the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse podcast episode.
Legal Aid NSW webinar―knowmore—beyond the Royal Commission recorded on 23 October 2018
The Civil Law Service for Aboriginal Communities (CLSAC) freecall 1800 793 017 or (02) 9219 5057
Aboriginal Legal Service (ALS) 
Call LawAccess NSW on 1300 888 529
Visit the Legal Aid NSW website to find a local civil law advice service.
Look after yourself
We want this to be a safe space for listeners. If you need support there are services that can help:
Beyond Blue -1300 224 636
Lifeline -13 11 14