Redfern Legal Centre (RLC) is an independent, non-profit
community legal centre established in 1977 and located in the
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
inner-city of
Redfern,
New South Wales. It is part of a network of four inner-Sydney region community legal centres, including the Inner City, Kingsford, and
Marrickville Legal Centres. Redfern Legal Centre is a member of Community Legal Centres NSW, the state peak representative body for community legal centres in NSW and also
Community Legal Centres Australia, the national peak representative body for community legal centres across Australia.
Redfern Legal Centre should not be confused with the
Aboriginal Legal Service, also located in Redfern, which was the first free legal service in Australia and founded in 1970.
The RLC is dedicated to promoting
social justice and
human rights and provides free legal advice, referral, and casework to disadvantaged people and groups who live with its catchment area, which extends to the
Botany,
Leichhardt, and
City of Sydney municipal areas. Many of those seeking assistance are ineligible for
legal aid
Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to co ...
but still cannot afford private legal services. A high proportion of the centre's clients are from
Aboriginal
Aborigine, aborigine or aboriginal may refer to:
*Aborigines (mythology), in Roman mythology
* Indigenous peoples, general term for ethnic groups who are the earliest known inhabitants of an area
*One of several groups of indigenous peoples, see ...
and
Torres Strait Islander and other culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The RLC is dedicated to community legal education and advocates for the reform of inequalities in laws, the legal system, administrative practices and society as a whole.
Areas of advice
The RLC is a general community legal centre providing free legal advice to the community in a number of key areas. The centre has been involved in key cases and areas of law reform with an increased focus on police accountability. In 2020, RLC launched an investigation into a potential class action suit against the NSW police for their unlawful use of strip searches. They have also referred a case involving a NSW police officer allegedly assaulting an indigenous teenager to the independent police watchdog. The centre also provides specific legal advice in the following areas.
* Apprehended Violence Orders
* Child Protection
* Consumer
* Credit & Debt
* Crime (minor)
* Discrimination and Human Rights
* Domestic Violence
* Employment
* Family Law
* Fines
* Guardianship of Adults
* Immigration Law
* Motor Vehicle Accidents
* Police Complaints
* Property Damage
* Tenanncy
* Victim Compensation
* Wills & Estates
Staff and Board
RLC has over 20 staff members split between this general legal team, Inner Sydney Tenancy Advice & Advocacy Service and administration and management. The current Chief Executive Officer is Katherine McKernan. Jacqui Swinburne acts as the Chief Operations Officer along with Alexis Goodstone as Principal Solicitor forming the senior management of the organisation. The centre is supported by the board, with Kerry O’Brien acting as chair of the board and Tamara Sims as secretary.
Volunteers and ''pro-bono''
The RLC relies heavily on volunteer labour and ''
pro-bono'' assistance from legal professionals to service a heavy caseload. Daytime volunteers tend to be law students or members of the community. Night-time volunteers are solicitors and legal assistants who attend appointments and give legal advice. RLC estimates it attracts approximately 30,000 volunteer hours per year or the equivalent of $900,000 worth of services to the community each year.
Awards
RLC received the 2007
Human Rights Law Award from the
Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
The Australian Human Rights Commission is the national human rights institution of Australia, established in 1986 as the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and renamed in 2008. It is a statutory body funded by, but opera ...
. In particular the award recognised the establishment of the
Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistance Scheme (WDVCAS)
The Women's Domestic Violence Court Assistance Scheme, commonly referred to by its initialism WDVCAS, comprises a network of organisations in New South Wales which information, advocacy and safety planning for women and their children who are esca ...
which aims to provide women seeking restraining orders as a result of domestic violence with legal advice as well as any other support required (including housing, income support and counselling).
Human Rights Award for Redfern Legal Centre — REDWatch - Redfern Eveleigh Darlington Waterloo Watch Group
/ref>
References
External links
*{{Official website, http://www.rlc.org.au/
Legal organisations based in Australia
New South Wales law
Non-profit organisations based in New South Wales
Redfern, New South Wales