If you have been impacted by recent storms in Victoria and are experiencing family violence we can provide legal assistance. Climate emergencies can have significant legal impacts, particularly if you’re experiencing family violence. Family violence may escalate during or after environmental disasters like severe storms. You, or your client, might… 🛑 need to leave the area you live in and have questions about parenting arrangements 🛑 have a temporary regional work visa but no longer be able to work for your employer or meet other visa conditions 🛑 be experiencing financial abuse and lost property that is subject to a loan To access support now: Call 1800 133 302 and ask to speak with our intake worker because you or the woman you are working with is impacted.
Women's Legal Service Victoria
Legal Services
Melbourne, Victoria 10,861 followers
Advocating for the rights of women and their children to live free from violence
About us
Women's Legal Service Victoria is a not for profit organisation which has been providing free legal services to women since 1982. We work with and for women experiencing particular disadvantage to address legal issues arising from relationship breakdown or violence. We provide legal advice and representation to women experiencing disadvantage. We advocate for law and policy that respects and promotes the rights of women. We build the capacity of other professionals and the community to identify and respond appropriately to legal need. We exist to help build a gender equitable country. Our unique contribution to this vision, as lawyers, advocates and educators, is to work alongside women experiencing disadvantage to promote their rights to live free from violence and make informed choices about their relationships. We are funded by the Indigenous Justice and Legal Assistance Division, Attorney General’s Department, Canberra and Victoria Legal Aid.
- Website
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http://www.womenslegal.org.au/
External link for Women's Legal Service Victoria
- Industry
- Legal Services
- Company size
- 51-200 employees
- Headquarters
- Melbourne, Victoria
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 1982
- Specialties
- family law, family violence law, child protection, victims of crime assistance, legal training and education, and law reform
Locations
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Primary
Get directions
Melbourne, Victoria 3000, AU
Employees at Women's Legal Service Victoria
Updates
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Most of the women we work with have experienced financial abuse in some form. Its impacts are devastating and far-reaching and extend far beyond the time a victim-survivor leaves a violent relationship. As Zaneta Mascarenhas MP notes, “financial abuse is frequently misunderstood and rarely discussed.” We welcome the current Parliamentary Inquiry and the national conversation currently taking place about this issue. It’s an important opportunity to strengthen the effectiveness of legislative, regulatory and practice frameworks to prevent, detect and respond to financial abuse. Read more here:https://lnkd.in/gTZ8w2BX
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💜🌈 Happy Wear It Purple Day! 🌈 💜 Wear It Purple Day promotes inclusivity, acceptance, and support for LGBTQIA+ young people. Established to honour and celebrate the diverse spectrum of identities, this day stands as a powerful reminder that everyone deserves respect and understanding. Our team is proud to wear purple and show our commitment to fostering a world where everyone feels safe, supported, and included. #WearItPurple #WearItPurpleDay #WearItPurpleDay2024
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Final chance to attend our Respect & Equality in the Legal Sector Forum next week. This forum is an opportunity for women and gender-diverse people who have worked in Victoria's legal sector to inform recommendations on how to prevent and respond safely to sexual harassment. 📅 Wednesday 4 September 🕕 6pm to 7:30pm Accessibility: Quiet room, AUSLAN interpreter, multiple was to participate at the forum. If you have other accessibility requirements please let us know when booking. Reserve your spot here: https://lnkd.in/epNhbfwZ While this event is for women and gender diverse people only, we are planning an event for men later in the year. Email [email protected] for more information. Respect and Equality in the Legal Sector is supported by WorkSafe’s WorkWell Respect Fund. Capire Consulting Group
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Calling Health and Safety Representatives in law firms to join our new community of practice! There has been a significant change in the way we view sexual harassment as a workplace issue. Women's Legal is looking for people with occupational health and safety responsibilities within Victorian law firms to join our new community of practice to support you to understand how to meet your legal obligations. You will be joined by like-minded experts in occupational health and safety, gender equality and sexual harassment prevention. Experienced and new occupational health and safety and health and safety representatives welcome. For more information, please email Monique Keel, Project Manager, Respect and Equality in the Legal Sector, Women’s Legal Service Victoria: [email protected]
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Women's Legal Service Victoria reposted this
We welcome the report of the Rapid Review of Prevention Approaches, released today, which recommends a significant funding uplift for legal assistance services for victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence. Importantly, the report recognises the provision of legal assistance to victim-survivors of DFSV is not only an access to justice issue, but a frontline service that can improve safety and reduce risk. The report notes the recommendations of the NLAP Review and findings that there has been palpable 'neglect' of the Australia's legal assistance sector over the past decade, and points to data collected by Women's Legal Services Australia which shows more than 52,000 women will be turned away by Women's Legal Services this year. We call on the Federal Government to give urgent attention to these recommendations to end gender-based violence. Thanks to the Expert Panel for your hard work: Elena Campbell, Dr Todd Fernando, Dr Leigh Gassner APM, Jess Hill, Dr. Zac Seidler & Dr Anne Summers AO. Read the report here: https://lnkd.in/gUjyV4yb
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Yesterday the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commissioner, Micaela Cronin released her first annual update on progress under the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children. In her speech to the National Press Club Commissioner Cronin said, "I think the community legal services do an extraordinary job on the ground of wrapping whatever needs to be done around their services and they’re often not funded to do that." The Federal Government’s response fails to recognise that adequate funding for community legal centres, including women’s legal services, is crucial to ending violence against women and children.
The Federal Government has failed to recognise the crucial role of community legal centres in responding to violence against women and children. Today the DFSV Commissioner, Micaela Cronin released her first annual update on progress under the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children. The Federal Government’s response fails to recognise that adequate funding for community legal centres, including Women’s Legal Services, is crucial to ending violence against women and children. Women’s Legal Services across the country are forced to turn away 1,000 women per week from accessing their services, due to lack of funding. We are calling on the Federal Government to invest an additional $95 million per year in the community legal sector to respond to domestic, family and sexual violence. Thanks Zali Steggall OAM MP and Kate Chaney MP for your advocacy for increased funding for legal assistance services. #SaveCommunityLegalCentres #FundTheFrontline https://lnkd.in/gvbr_5Cu
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The 2024 Federal Budget failed to provide the urgent funding boost and long-term funding security the community legal sector desperately needs. With less than a year’s guaranteed funding left, community legal centres are in the most uncertain position we have faced in a decade. Women’s legal services like ours are a crucial part of the crisis response to domestic and family violence, and urgently need additional funding to meet demand and address workforce issues. We're joining with Community Legal Centres Australia and our colleagues across the sector in calling on the Federal Government to #SaveCommunityLegalCentres and #FundFrontlineServices #CommunityLaw Women's Legal Services Australia Find out more: https://lnkd.in/gVeMq5C9
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This #EqualPayDay, we call on governments to provide urgent funding for women’s legal services to address low wages and pay disparity. The Review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership found that: ➡ 70 % of the community legal sector workforce identify as women ➡ there is a significant lack of pay parity across the sector ➡ addressing pay parity in the legal assistance sector would contribute to improving the gender pay gap in Australia. The lawyers, social workers, First Nations caseworkers, and financial counsellors who work in frontline women’s legal services like ours are doing critical work to respond to the crisis of family violence in our community. They are exposed to significant trauma, and they deserve to be paid appropriately for their important contribution. The federal Budget failed to invest in essential indexation and wages for all legal assistance programs dedicated to women affected by gender-based violence. Governments must urgently adopt a policy of ‘same job, same pay’ for legal assistance workers, and close the wages gap. #EndTheGenderPayGap #ItDoesntAddUp #EqualPayDay #WorkplaceEquality Women's Legal Services Australia
Today is Equal Pay Day. Think back to 1 July. That seems like a long time ago now. In fact it’s 50 days. That’s the amount of extra time that women would need to work on average to earn the same amount as men in Australia thanks to the 11.5% gender pay gap. That difference doesn’t add up for many women. Over the past 50 days WGEA has called on employers to take action to reduce the gender pay gap. Last year 55% of employers conducted a gender pay gap analysis to find the drivers behind their gender pay gap. This is something that all employers should do on an annual basis. Of the employers that did the analysis, 60% acted on the results. We know the gender pay gap can be confusing. But it is possible to take action and WGEA can help. WGEA’s Gender Pay Gap Analysis guide can help employers to understand how to conduct this analysis: https://lnkd.in/gnWN5cBb Our Action Planning Tool helps reporting employers to pinpoint areas where they can improve gender equality in their workplace. https://lnkd.in/gGt4YtGX Once you know where your unique areas of disparity are occurring, you can then put together a plan to address each of them. It helps to look for policies and practices around recruitment, promotion and employee assistance when you’re looking for the reasons why women aren’t earning as much as men. WGEA also offers Capacity Building Masterclasses. You can book one today to learn how to find the drivers of the gender pay gap, how to create a gender equality action plan and how to design part-time roles. https://lnkd.in/gTAFT3Nw The time for excuses is over. #endthegenderpaygap #itdoesntaddup #equalpayday #wgea
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Women's Legal Service Victoria reposted this
Minister for Victim Support, Enver Erdogan MP was joined by Broadmeadows local member, Kathleen Matthews-Ward, to meet with Victims Legal Service partners at our offices in Broadmeadows recently. The Victims Legal Service is Victoria’s first dedicated, state-wide, specialist legal service for victims of crime. Victim-survivors are provided with trauma-informed, specialised legal advice and assistance by 11 partners across the legal assistance sector. Service partners spoke about the positive outcomes achieved for VLS clients and the success of the collaborative service delivery model. They also discussed the need for ongoing and additional resourcing so the service can continue and can match the clear need in the community for the service. Current funding ends on 30 June 2025. If you or someone you are supporting needs help, you can contact the Victims Legal Service Helpline on 1800 531 566 between 9 am – 5 pm, Monday to Friday. Eastern Community Legal Centre Ballarat & Grampians Community Legal Service Gippsland Community Legal Service DjirraVIC Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service Mallee Family Care Federation of Community Legal Centres Inner Melbourne Community Legal Northern Community Legal Centre Women's Legal Service Victoria South-East Monash Legal Service
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