Federation of Community Legal Centres

Thank you Law Institute of Victoria for the piece on our exhibition at Parliament of Victoria in the Law Institute Journal. To hear reflections on the event from MPs on all sides as well as our members, read more: https://lnkd.in/g7xZc39K

Last week, the Federation hosted the inaugural Victorian Community Legal Centre Exhibition in the Queen’s Hall of the Victorian Parliament. Over three days, representatives from 43 Community Legal Centres attended the exhibition, to showcase their work and connect with Victorian parliamentarians. Community Legal Centres spoke with more than 100 MPs, many of whom expressed sincere gratitude for the lifechanging services offered by Community Legal Centres to people in their communities. We thank all the Community Legal Centres who joined us last week, and the MPs who gave their time to speaking with community legal sector staff and learning about their work. Special thanks go to the Speaker for sponsoring us to run the Exhibition and without whom this exhibition would not have been possible. Read more about the event here: https://lnkd.in/gwf2Xi5k #communitylawvictoria #HowWeHelpYouHelpOurCommunities Parliament of Victoria The Hon Maree Edwards MP Jacinta Allan Ben Carroll The Hon. Michael O'Brien MP

Thanks to everyone at Eastern Community Legal Centre for putting on this incredibly valuable and informative event. We are proud to support this important work as a member of the Advisory Group.

On 3–5 December, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous legal professionals, scholars, activists, law students, graduates and community leaders will come together at the Tarwirri-Indigenous Law Students and Lawyers Association of Victoria National Indigenous Conference in Naarm/Melbourne. Register for a ticket here: https://lnkd.in/gGGK84Y4 The conference will address critical legal, justice and social issues, creating a forum for bringing Aboriginal and non-Indigenous people together to examine important legal and policy matters affecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples nationwide. Recognising First Nations’ excellence in the legal profession, the inaugural Tarwirri Gala + National First Nations Law Awards will be presented on 4 December. For information about nominating someone for an award please contact info@tarwirri.com.au. Nominations close on 25 October!

Last week, representatives from Smart Justice for Women met with Labor Women’s Caucus in Parliament House to discuss the gendered pathways to criminalisation, the importance of early intervention and prevention, and the intersections between criminality and mental health, housing, the cost of living, education and disability. It was encouraging to see how engaged the Women’s Caucus group already were in these issues, and their enthusiasm for learning from the community about what works to improve outcomes for women at risk of criminalisation.   Thank you to all the Women’s Caucus who met with us yesterday, for your demonstrated and genuine interest in and commitment to supporting at risk women. We look forward to working closely together on these issues in the future.   Juliana Addison MP Sarah Connolly MP Jacinta Ermacora MP Lauren Kathage MP Sonya Kilkenny MP Harriet Shing MP Gabrielle Williams MP

Today was the third and final day of our exhibition in Parliament of Victoria Queen’s Hall! Community Legal Centres have spoken to more than 100 Members of Parliament about the work that they do - all to the brilliant sound of James Cisco and Paddy Montgomery! #howwehelpyouhelpcommunities #communitylawvic Louisa Gibbs

On Tuesday, Law Institute of Victoria recognised 15 lawyers for their outstanding contributions to the LIV and the legal profession, including a number of community lawyers and friends of the sector, at its annual awards ceremony. Special congratulations go to Belinda Lo (Eastern Community Legal Centre) Sanmati Verma (Human Rights Law Centre), Anoushka Jeronimus (WEstjustice), and Ali Besiroglu (Board Member at Eastern Community Legal Centre) and incoming Principal Lawyer Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service ). We also congratulate Lindy Richardson, Kirsten S. and Emily Fyffe from Maddocks for their pro bono work on the community legal sector’s multi-enterprise agreement.   We are proud to work with such a dedicated and talented group of people in the community legal sector, and commend all the winners who contribute to the legal profession and their communities throughout the year.

Today we celebrated the Victorian community legal sector at the Community Legal Centre Exhibition lunchtime event in Parliament of Victoria. We heard from The Hon Maree Edwards MP, Jaclyn Symes MP, The Hon. Michael O'Brien MP and Katherine Copsey MP, who thanked the sector and shared what Community Legal Centres mean to them. Thank you to all the MPs, Community Legal Centre staff and allies of the sector who attended today’s event. Connecting in-person strengthens relationships, enables knowledge-sharing, and enhances the way we work together to improve the lives and well-being of all Victorians.

Thank you The Hon Maree Edwards MP and everyone at Parliament of Victoria for taking the time to speak with Community Legal Centres about their important work! Jacinta Allan Juliana Addison MP Sarah Connolly MP Ben Carroll Ros Spence Katherine Copsey MP The Hon. Michael O'Brien MP Jaclyn Symes MP

Day one of the Community Legal Centres exhibition in the Victorian Parliament yesterday was epic. More than 30 Members of Parliament visited to meet their local Community Legal Centre and connect with specialist centres as well. Incredible conversations were had. We're here on day two, looking forward to our lunchtime celebration - we hope to see lots of MPs there!