Justice and Equity Centre (formerly the Public Interest Advocacy Centre)

We’re pleased the City of Sydney has taken a step in the right direction with a proposal to reduce the number of alcohol-free zones across the city. Our Homeless Persons’ Legal Service and lived experience advocates StreetCare have been leading voices in the City’s extensive consultation. Alongside other Community Legal Centres, they’ve explained how alcohol-free zones disproportionately impact and criminalise First Nations people, people on low incomes, and people who are homeless. ‘People who drink in public places tend to be people who can’t afford to be inside licenced venues,’ says StreetCare Project Officer Charmaine Jones. ‘StreetCare supports the City of Sydney proposal, which will reduce stigma, arrests and expensive fines for people who can least afford them. But we urge the Council to consider removing these alcohol-free zones from the city altogether.’ https://lnkd.in/geHdmWp8

A great step forward for renters in NSW, with the Government announcing an end to ‘no grounds evictions’ for all renters. Under the changes, renters will be able to stay in their homes unless there is a genuine reason why they must be evicted. This follows years of advocacy led by the Tenants' Union of NSW and supported by the Justice and Equity Centre. Our Policy Officer, Alannah Daly, backed the changes at today’s Parliamentary hearing into rental reforms. ‘We welcome these sensible reforms which will require landlords to have a valid reason for evicting a renter. We hope these changes will create a fairer rental system where tenants will be empowered to assert their rights without fear of an unfair eviction.’ We look forward to the implementation, which will provide greater protection and stability for renters and reduce the risk of homelessness. https://lnkd.in/gFurg6TP

‘The people of NSW should be furious.’ We agree with Lauren Stefanou from the Aboriginal Legal Service NSW/ACT. NSW Police have sought to deny their responsibilities to meet closing the gap targets and shown contempt for accountability to our community. Last year’s report on the NSW Police Aboriginal Strategic Direction from police oversight body the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC) was scathing. And we called it out at the time. As the numbers of Aboriginal people held on remand dramatically worsen and more Aboriginal people are pulled into the criminal legal system, NSW Police are now trying to reduce scrutiny by removing the LECC as the monitoring body for the 2024 Aboriginal Strategic Direction. Closing the Gap is everyone’s responsibility, and NSW Police have a critical role to play. It’s time they stepped up. https://lnkd.in/g38QYc_v

‘I’m a policy advocate. It’s my job to keep campaigning to make things even better. We can highlight the fact that, particularly for gay men and lesbians, yes, things have come a long way since the 80s. … And we can simultaneously point out that some of the public debate about transgender and gender diverse people now is highly reminiscent of the 1980s. Some of the push back against trans rights and inclusion is quite similar to what you and I grew up with as gay people at that time.’ Our Director of Policy and Advocacy Alastair Lawrie joined Josh Szeps for one of his ‘Uncomfortable Conversations’. They debated whether activism for gay rights is still necessary and discussed what challenges the LGBTQ+ community face today. You can listen to the discussion on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gAmc5XQW

‘What I’ve learned is – sometimes you need a big stick to pry the door open, and taking a case to court can be that stick.’   Principal Solicitor Jonathan Hall Spence spoke to Pro Bono Australia about his work at the Justice and Equity Centre, what he loves about his role and how he winds down after a busy day fighting for social justice.   ‘It’s sport for me… Having a run around after work helps switch my brain off and come back fresh the next day.’ https://lnkd.in/gKDshJhy

Jetstar has apologised to our client, disability advocate Akii Ngo, after they fell from a Jetstar wheelchair being pushed by a staff member at Adelaide airport. Akii says accessible air travel for wheelchair users should not be ‘luck of the draw’: the Government needs to work with people with disability to develop accessibility standards for air travel. Senior Solicitor Sheetal Balakrishnan explained to the ABC how the current complaints system puts the burden on people with disability. Instead, we need an enforceable disability standard with a regulator holding airlines and airports to account if they don’t comply. Read the article in the ABC: https://lnkd.in/gfWGUJQs Read our media release and a public statement about the accident: https://lnkd.in/gqafwMNS

People shouldn’t be forced out of their home without a good reason. But although the NSW Government promised to ban ‘no grounds evictions’ at the last election, it continues to drag its feet. Renters can’t afford to wait any longer. Since the election, an estimated 37,000 households have been evicted without a reason, causing financial stress and contributing to homelessness. The constant threat of eviction can make tenants afraid to ask for essential repairs and maintenance. With the Tenants' Union of NSW, we’re advocating for new ‘reasonable grounds', meaning landlords can still ask tenants to move out when there’s a good reason, but renters get a fair deal with more stability and security. https://lnkd.in/gsFmB-Jc

We’re proudly celebrating the history and vibrancy of the world’s oldest continuing culture in NAIDOC week. We also recognise the achievements of First Nations colleagues and Aboriginal partner organisations. We are proud to stand with them. #NAIDOC2024 #NAIDOCWeek #BlakLoudProud

Our new Explainer considers how the Government and Parliament have responded to #disability community concerns about proposed changes to the NDIS. In March, the Government introduced the ‘Getting the NDIS Back on Track No. 1’ Bill. We joined with disability rights organisations and advocates to suggest changes to improve the Bill, to protect the rights of people with disability who rely on the NDIS. The Bill has since been amended, and further amendments have been proposed. A second Senate Committee inquiry into the Bill is now underway, with submissions open until 12 July.  Our Explainer summarises and analyses the amendments that may have the broadest impact on the disability community. It is available as a resource to advocates and others in the community who would like to make a submission to the inquiry. Download the Explainer in PDF or Word here: https://lnkd.in/gvx7SRY7

The NSW Government could transform the child protection system by working with Aboriginal people, so children can thrive in their communities. But almost 5 years after the Family is Culture (FIC) Report provided a roadmap to a better system, the Government is dragging its feet on urgent reforms. That’s the view of the community and our partners Aboriginal Legal Service, AbSec and the UTS Jumbunna Institute in the most recent Community Report Card, which assesses the NSW Government’s action on the FIC Report’s 126 recommendations. The Report Card calls out the Government’s failure to partner with Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisations and commit to implementing FIC in full, saying ‘progress on implementation of the FIC recommendations has been disappointingly and unjustifiably slow.’ Aboriginal children are paying the price, being removed from their families at a rate over 10 times that of non-Aboriginal children. With our partners, we are calling on the NSW Government to act immediately to implement the FIC recommendations and address the alarmingly high rates of removals of Aboriginal children, and to honour its Closing the Gap and Safe and Supported commitments. See the report card: https://lnkd.in/g4GcqXzB