Speaking to RLC staff and volunteers, Mr Dreyfuss said that during the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse the federal government has decided to use community legal centres to provide services to those appearing. “They provide the kind of legal advice that will be accessible, the closest to the community. It will not be confronting. People will not have to go to the 51st floor of the MLC building to see some large firm.”
The gathering heard about the diversity of services RLC provides to the community, not only locally but also state-wide. Various community members present on the day told their stories and Catherine Smith, a client of RLC’s Domestic Violence Program, spoke via webcam from her refuge in rural Australia.
Ms Jo Shulman RLC CEO outlined the six areas of civil law for which RLC provides services: Employment; Discrimination; Tenancy; Domestic Violence; Credit and Debt; and Government Accountability and Police Powers. “Seeking out gaps in free legal services available led to the establishment of our state-wide Police Powers Service [which] provides clients with advice because of inappropriate targeting of specific groups and police improperly following protocols,” Ms Shulman said.
Supported by Amy Munro, the chair of RLC’s Board, Mr Giovanni de Marco spoke through his tears of his gratitude to RLC’s Tenancy Advice Services for the assistance he and his wife received as they struggled with Housing NSW over tenancy issues.
RLC will use the grant funds to extend the Credit and Debt Services it provides.
