Law for Community Workers

A Place to Call Home: Episode 3 - Homelessness in older women

This is Part 3 in our podcast series exploring homelessness in Australia and the legal issues people experience when they are homeless or at risk of homelessness.  During this series we will be speaking to people from different services providing support and legal advice to those experiencing homelessness.
In this 3rd episode, Bridget from the Community Legal Education Branch speaks to Beverly Baker, Chair of the NSW Older Women’s Network and President of the National Older Women’s Network.
There is useful information in this episode about how community workers working with older women can support these clients.
 
Use the links below to find out more information about what we talked about in this episode.
The Older Women’s Network NSW promotes the rights ,dignity and wellbeing of older women.
Address: 8-10 Victoria Street Newtown NSW 2042
Ph. 61 2 9519 8044, Email: info@ownnsw.org.au, Web: https://ownnsw.org.au/
 
National Older Women’s Network, PO Box 3082 Redfern NSW 2016
Ph. 61 4 3379 2582, Email: admin@nown.org.au, Web: https://ownaustralia.org.au/
 
Women’s Housing Company provides affordable housing to women:
Suite 901, Level 9, 318A Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Ph. 02 9281 1764 or 1300 942 111, Email: contact@womenshousingcompany.org,
Web: https://www.womenshousingcompany.org.au/  Open weekdays 9am – 4.30pm
Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/v1UZkjaQPCIcCUZ1ux9Nll4hoX4?
 
Please send questions, comments and feedback to cle@legalaid.nsw.gov.au
 
Disclaimer: This podcast is a general guide to the law. You should not rely on it as legal advice. We recommend that you talk to a lawyer about any particular situation. The information is correct at the time of publishing but it may change. For more information, start with our team at LawAccess NSW via webchat at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au or on 1300 888 529. 

Strata for Starters - Marrickville LC Strata Collective Sales and Advocacy Service

Strata Collective Sales and Advocacy Service
This episode talks about being a tenant in a strata managed property and being an owner living in a strata managed property.
Marrickville Legal Centre offers free legal advice and assistance to the community of the inner-west, south-west, southern suburbs of Sydney, and beyond. There are 1.5 million people living in our key catchment: that’s 30 per cent of Sydney’s total population.
They acknowledge the Gadigal, Wangal, Guringal, Wallumedegai and Cammeraygal people of the Eora Nation as the first peoples of our region.
In 1979, a group of law students identified a gap in accessible legal services in the inner west of Sydney. Together they established a free legal advice service in a small office in Marrickville Town Hall. The service was staffed on a voluntary basis and specifically targeted the local migrant community. The community response was overwhelming and so marked the creation of NSW’s second community legal centre, two years after Redfern Legal Centre.
Office:  338 Illawarra Road Marrickville NSW 2204
Website: Home - Marrickville Legal Centre (mlc.org.au)
Contact Us: Contact - Marrickville Legal Centre (mlc.org.au)
Phone: (02) 9559 2899
Strata Service: Strata - Marrickville Legal Centre (mlc.org.au)
Factsheets: Factsheets - Marrickville Legal Centre (mlc.org.au)
Newsletter: Get involved - Marrickville Legal Centre (mlc.org.au)  (bottom of the page)
Today, Marrickville Legal Centre has grown its reach to extend legal and related services to over 7000 New South Wales residents each year. Our holistic approach continues to pair direct legal guidance with a broader range of social services, helping people to move forward into a secure future, and we strive to drive policy advocacy in our legal system that instigates meaningful social change.
Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/MS3f6d5bai5NgNlx2KS1FMsE1gI?utm_source=copy_url
 
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.
 
Disclaimer: This podcast is a general guide to the law. You should not rely on it as legal advice. We recommend that you talk to a lawyer about any particular situation. The information is correct at the time of publishing but it may change. For more information, start with our team at LawAccess NSW via webchat at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au or on 1300 888 529. 
 

Spotlight On Australia’s Animal Defenders Office

The Animal Defenders Office (ADO) is a national non-profit community legal centre that specialises in animal law.
The ADO was incorporated in the Australian Capital Territory in late 2013. In 2017 we were formally recognised and accredited by the Australian National Association of Community Legal Centres as part of the National Accreditation Scheme ("NAS") Phase 2. On 11 May 2022 we were formally accredited by CLCs Australia Inc under NAS Phase 3.
As a community legal centre that focuses on helping animals and animal advocates, the ADO:
Offers free advice and representation for individuals and groups that want to take action for animals; and
Produces information to raise community awareness about animal protection; and
Works to advance animal interests through law reform.
We are a national community legal centre in that we aim to assist individuals and groups from around Australia with matters affecting animals and their (human) defenders.
We are run by volunteers and receive no ongoing government funding.
 
Contact Us
Phone:  0428 416 857
Email: contact@ado.org.au
Website: Animal Defenders Office | Community Legal Centre (ado.org.au)
Factsheets:  Animal Defenders Office | Fact Sheets (ado.org.au)
 
Link to Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/ZjFyyFfpY-gwBKyjFLad9Itw8BM?utm_source=copy_url
 
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.
 
Disclaimer: This podcast is a general guide to the law. You should not rely on it as legal advice. We recommend that you talk to a lawyer about any particular situation. The information is correct at the time of publishing but it may change. For more information, start with our team at LawAccess NSW via webchat at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au or on 1300 888 529. 
 

On the ground at South West Sydney Legal Fair

In this episode, we visit the South West Sydney Legal fair and chat to different organisations about the things you should know about their service and the ways that community workers can make referrals. 
The South West Sydney Legal Fair is a free legal information event hosted by Legal Aid NSW and the Vietnamese Australian Lawyers Association.  
The groups interviewed in this episode are: 
Vietnamese Australian Lawyers Association (VALA) - info@vala-au.org 
Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW - www.ewon.com.au 
Settlement Services Internation (SSI) - www.ssi.org.au 
Legal Aid NSW – www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au 
Catholic Care Sydney - www.catholiccare.org 
Want to know when the next South West Sydney Legal Fair will be? Email us at cle@legalaid.nsw.gov.au
 
Episode Transcript: https://shorturl.at/aqrPZ
Music: Blue Highway - Poddington Bear
 
Disclaimer: This podcast is a general guide to the law. You should not rely on it as legal advice. We recommend that you talk to a lawyer about any particular situation. The information is correct at the time of publishing but it may change. For more information, start with our team at LawAccess NSW via webchat at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au or on 1300 888 529. 
 

Spotlight On The Environmental Defenders Office

What they do:
Protect Country and culture
Protect habitats and wildlife
Tackle climate change
Sustainable water sharing
Promote healthy communities
Defending the defenders
They run bold and ground-breaking environmental cases to protect our natural world. They can help you and your community use the law to protect the environment. Their team of dedicated and expert lawyers, scientists, communicators and support staff are their most valuable resource in the critical fight to defend the environment. EDO people work in every state and territory of Australia. They provide a supportive and inclusive work environment underpinned by the values of Commitment, Diversity, Integrity and Vision.
 
Website: https://www.edo.org.au/
Legal Resources: Legal resources - Environmental Defenders Office (edo.org.au)
**Scroll down the above page to subscribe to the Newsletter**
 
Link to Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/4b7ul8MeWZ6Y_1jpZxxDPo3DOUE?utm_source=copy_url
 
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.
 
Disclaimer: This podcast is a general guide to the law. You should not rely on it as legal advice. We recommend that you talk to a lawyer about any particular situation. The information is correct at the time of publishing but it may change. For more information, start with our team at LawAccess NSW via webchat at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au or on 1300 888 529. 

Spotlight On The Welfare Rights Centre

The Welfare Rights Centre opened its doors in 1983 as part of the community legal centre movement in Australia that began in response to scarcity of affordable legal assistance available to marginalised members of society. Originally co-located with Redfern Legal Centre, the Centre opened its own premises in 1985. Since then it has experienced changes in location, staff, funding sources, law and policy. Throughout these changes, the Welfare Rights Centre has remained the lead service agency in NSW for social security law and policy.
The Welfare Rights Centre is a community legal centre specialising in social security law and family assistance law and its administration by Centrelink.
They provide free legal information, advice and representation to thousands of NSW residents every year who are adversely affected by Centrelink decisions. The Centre also provides education to improve knowledge and understanding about social security law in the community. They use the knowledge and experience they gain through their casework to advocate for reforms to the law and policy that would make the Australian social security system fairer for everyone.
They can advise people about their social security rights, entitlements and obligations and assist people through the social security review and appeals system, including Centrelink internal review and the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. They provide all initial advice by phone.
Contact Information
Phone: 02 9211 5300 OR 1800 226 028 (toll-free from outside Sydney metro area)
Advice intake times
Monday: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Wednesday: 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Website: https://welfarerightscentre.org.au/
Online Enquiries: https://welfarerightscentre.org.au/need-help
Community Legal Education: https://welfarerightscentre.org.au/community-legal-education
Facebook: Welfare Rights Centre NSW | Sydney NSW | Facebook
Twitter: Welfare Rights (@welfare_rights) / Twitter
 
Link to Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/DQPnNtnHXQJOSeT9oSQuifIj69Y?utm_source=copy_url 
 
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.
 
Disclaimer: This podcast is a general guide to the law. You should not rely on it as legal advice. We recommend that you talk to a lawyer about any particular situation. The information is correct at the time of publishing but it may change. For more information, start with our team at LawAccess NSW via webchat at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au or on 1300 888 529. 

Spotlight On The Financial Rights Legal Centre

Financial Rights Legal Centre is a specialist centre providing free financial counselling and legal advice to help people resolve financial difficulties and disputes with credit and debt, banking, bankruptcy, debt collection or insurance problems.
 
We offer our services through 4 telephone services available to the general public:
 
National Debt Helpline (we answer half of the calls in NSW)
Monday to Friday 9.30am to 4.30pm: 1800 007 007
 
Credit & Debt Legal Advice line (NSW)
Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm: 1800 844 949
 
Insurance Law Service (national)
Monday to Friday 10am to 1pm: 1300 663 464
 
Mob Strong Debt Help (national)
Monday to Friday 9.30am – 4.30pm: 1800 808 488
 
We have a dedicated Caseworker Hotline available for caseworkers and financial counsellors
Monday to Friday 9.30am – 4.30pm: 1800 650 084
 
Financial Rights’ website has a new look: check the details below
 
Website: Home - Financial Rights Legal Centre
 
Caseworker Resources: Caseworker Resources - Financial Rights Legal Centre
 
Mob Strong: Mob Strong Debt Help (financialrights.org.au)
 
Workshops and Education: Workshops and Education - Financial Rights Legal Centre
 
Link to Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/-qYFBiO_auh1s_s6cHv7BTBO4uQ?utm_source=copy_url
 
 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.
 
Disclaimer: This podcast is a general guide to the law. You should not rely on it as legal advice. We recommend that you talk to a lawyer about any particular situation. The information is correct at the time of publishing but it may change. For more information, start with our team at LawAccess NSW via webchat at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au or on 1300 888 529. 
 
 

Electing a fine with Mid North Coast Legal Centre

In this episode of our Law for Community Worker podcast series we talk with Madi from the Mid North Coast Legal Centre about the consequences of making a court election when you receive a fine. Madi also talks about other options available to people when they receive a fine and why court electing is not always the best choice.
 
Mid North Coast Legal Centre: https://mnclegal.org.au/
Phone: 02 6580 2111
Email: info@mnclegal.org.au
 
To find a community legal service near you www.clcnsw.org.au
Revenue NSW: https://www.revenue.nsw.gov.au/
Factsheets about driving offences - www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au
Driving laws in NSW - www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/demerits-penalties-and-offences
Road User Handbook to download and also available in 8 community languages www.nsw.gov.au/driving-boating-and-transport/roads-safety-and-rules/safety-updates-for-nsw-road-users/road-user-handbook 
Law Access Guided Pathways about Traffic Offences and FineFixer can be found here: https://legalhelp.lawaccess.nsw.gov.au/
 
 
 
Music: Blue Highway by Podington Bear 
Editing by Yasmine Lewis from Legal Aid NSW
Please send questions, comments and feedback to cle@legalaid.nsw.gov.au
Transcript: https://adobe.ly/3BuXLgi
 
Disclaimer: This podcast is a general guide to the law. You should not rely on it as legal advice. We recommend that you talk to a lawyer about any particular situation. The information is correct at the time of publishing but it may change. For more information, start with our team at LawAccess NSW via webchat at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au or on 1300 888 529. 

Supreme Court COVID fines challenge case

In this episode, Stephanie Hawes explores a recent case run by Redfern Legal Centre where the validity of some COVID fines issued by New South Wales Police was examined. We hear from the senior lawyer Sam Lee about the legal aspects of the case as well as the outcome and its effect on the community. We then chat with Rohan Pank, the plaintiff in the case, about his experience and journey to the Supreme Court.Redfern Legal Centre: https://rlc.org.au/
Transcript: https://bit.ly/3VN6FiEMusic: Wind Marching for Rain by Puddle of Infinity 
 
Disclaimer: This podcast is a general guide to the law. You should not rely on it as legal advice. We recommend that you talk to a lawyer about any particular situation. The information is correct at the time of publishing but it may change. For more information, start with our team at LawAccess NSW via webchat at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au or on 1300 888 529. 

Spotlight On Inner City Community Legal Centre Sex Workers Legal Service

The Inner City Legal Centre (ICLC) is a non-profit community based legal centre located in Kings Cross, NSW. The centre has been providing FREE legal services to residents in the inner city, surrounding areas Northern Beaches, and LGBTIQ Communities since 1980.
Areas Serviced: Areas Serviced - Inner City Legal Centre (iclc.org.au)
 
Website: Home - Inner City Legal Centre (iclc.org.au)
**scroll down the above page to subscribe to their newsletter**
SLS: https://www.iclc.org.au/our-services/sex-worker-legal-service/
Sex Workers Outreach Project (SWOP): Home - SWOP Sex Workers Outreach Project
Email: iclc@iclc.org.au
Phone: 02 9332 1966                     Toll Free: 1800 244 481                 SMS-only number: 0476 857 342
Location:
Basement, Kings Cross Library,
Neighbourhood Centre
50-52 Darlinghurst Road
Kings Cross NSW 2011
Postal Address: PO Box 25, Potts Point NSW 1335
 
Link to Transcript: https://acrobat.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn:aaid:scds:US:10add599-f876-31c9-a427-e3e6141848e5  
 
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.
 
Disclaimer: This podcast is a general guide to the law. You should not rely on it as legal advice. We recommend that you talk to a lawyer about any particular situation. The information is correct at the time of publishing but it may change. For more information, start with our team at LawAccess NSW via webchat at www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au or on 1300 888 529.