Annual Report 2017-2018 Table of Contents
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Annual Report 2017-2018 Table of Contents Our Mission 4 Our Catchment 4 Our Practice Areas 4 Funding and Support 4 Acknowledgements 5 Our Volunteers 6 Our Board of Management 7 Our Staff 7 Our expanding centre 7 Board Chair’s Report 8 Executive Officer Report 9 Our work by the numbers 10-11 Our Generalist Legal Services 12 The Wills Clinic 13 Somali Women’s Project 13 Our Impact 14 We all have a right to live Safe from Harm 15 Family Law Clinic 17 Outreach Services 17 A word from our Volunteers at Flem Ken 18 Bringing war-torn families together 19 Police Accountability Project 20 Holding police accountable in the courts 20 Challenging and changing the Police Complaints system 21 photo credit: Charandev Singh Policing Family Violence: Changing the Story 22 Cover Photo: African communities Bringing young people to the front: The Peer Advocacy Team 25 staged a peaceful protest against media vilification outside Seven’s Without Suspicion: The campaign to end racial profiling in Victoria 28 Melbourne headquarters at Docklands on Saturday 28th July 2018. Administration and finance 30 Photo: Charandev Singh Financial Report for the year ended 30 June 2017 32 2 CONTACT US Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre (FKCLC) Address: P.O. Box 487, FLEMINGTON VIC 3031 22 Bellair Street, KENSINGTON Vic 3031 Phone: 03 9376 4355 Fax: 03 9376 4529 Email: [email protected] Website: www.flemkenlegal.org www.policeaccountability.org.au www.safefromharm.org.au ABN: 38 029 753 353 HOURS OF OPERATION Monday to Friday: 9am – 5pm Night Service Monday fornight 6pm– 7pm Closed public holidays 3 OUR PRactICE AREas • Debts (Consumer debts) • Fines (Infringements) OUR MIssIon FunDING anD SuppoRT • Social Security (Centrelink and We work for inclusive and safe The Centre’s core funding is provided other social security matters) communities and the full realisation of by Victoria Legal Aid and the human rights. We believe in equality • Tenancy Commonwealth Community Legal before the law and aim to ensure that • Consumer rights Services Program as part of the National all people have access to justice and OUR CatcHMEnt • Criminal law (summary) Partnership Agreement for Legal protection of the law regardless of their The Flemington and Kensington • Motor vehicle accidents Assistance Services (2015-2020). income or power. We assist people Community Legal Centre generalist • Employment (Limited) We wish to acknowledge other critical and communities to assert their rights program provides services to people support from the following: and access justice fully and freely. We who live, work or study in Flemington • Family violence advocate for systemic change in many or Kensington. Our Migration program • Family Law • Department of Justice & Regulation - areas and are committed to working and Police Accountability programs • Police Accountability – (Inquests, CLC Assistance Fund toward human rights compliant and accept clients and referrals from around criminal, discrimination, FOI, police • Department of Justice & Regulation – accountable policing. Victoria on a case by case basis. Our complaints, civil litigation, appeals) Somali Women’s Access to Justice Safe from Harm program focuses on The Centre does this by: • Migration: Offshore Refugee/ • The Reichstein Foundation the Flemington Housing Estate. We Humanitarian applications • Providing free, accessible, high-quality also make and accept referrals from • Melbourne University Law School legal casework, advice and assistance, surrounding Community Legal Centres • Wills • Myer Foundation • Developing strong collaborative (CLCs) on a case by case basis. • Power of Attorneys. • Federation of Community Legal Centres networks and relationships with local • Lord Mayors Charitable Foundation community agencies and groups, • Debbie Jacobs and state-wide and national legal and • Ian Melrose human rights networks, • Robinson Gill Lawyers • Driving and supporting law reform and policy advocacy on behalf of and • Dr Richard Williams - alongside our clients and communities, Melbourne Social Equity Institute • Providing community legal education • Cohealth through production of online and offline And all of our smaller donors to resources, tailored training sessions, whom we remain eternally grateful. talks, forums and via the media, Tax deductable donations can be • Training and support for legal students made at www.flemkenlegal.org/donate/ and other community members through a strong, accessible volunteer program and law graduates completing practical legal training. photo credit: 4 Charandev Singh ACKNOWLEDGEMEnts Reference Group Jeremy Hearne, cohealth Michelle Old and Sue Ball & Cindy Wong Emrys Nekvapil Jeremy King, Robinson everyone at Flatout Legal Services Board This centre works on the land of the Wurundjeri people Emily Clark Gill Lawyers Miguel Belmar Spark Consulting – Heather, of the Kulin nations who have never ceded sovereignty. Erin Ramsey Jessica Tester Min Guo Richard and all the team. We acknowlede the continuing impacts of colonisation Eva Wynn Jessie Taylor Moonee Valley Tim Fitzpatrick and the resilience and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Legal Service (MVLS) Everyone at the Federation of Jill Reichstein Tony French Straity Islander communities. We pay our deepest Community Legal Centres Jim McKenna Moonee Valley Local Learning Trevor Monti QC Employment Network (MVLLEN) respects to Country and to Elders past and present. Everyone at the National John Dickie Uniting Church in Australia, Association of Community Moya O’Brien Synod of Victoria and Tasmania FKCLC wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Josephine Byrt City of Melbourne Legal Centres (NACLC) Nesam Macmillan Victorian Aboriginal everyone who has assisted and supported us Justice Connect Mary Quinsacara (Melbourne University) Fadzai Jaravaza (Sista Zai) – CoHealth Arts Generator Legal Service (VALS) over the past year including; Noel Russell Fiona Dowsley (Victoria K & L Gates Victorian Council of Social Crime Statistics Agency) Paula Shelton Services (VCOSS) K&L Gates Fiona Spencer Peter Rozen Victorian Law Foundation (VLF) Karen Argiropoulos Fiona Ryan Peter Crowley Vincent Ryan Kate Fischer-Doherty Fitzroy Legal Service Peter Seidel Warren Smith Kathleen Foley Flemington Community Centre Phoebe Knowles WestJustice Katrina McAuley, Merri Fleur Spitzer Outreach Support Services Progressive Law Network Women’s Legal Service (Vic) Foundation House Rachel Doyle SC YouthLaw Abselom Nega, Iempower Charandev Singh Klaus Mueller Gabi Crafti Rebecca Wilson Zero Partos Adam Bandit Centre for Innovative Kot Monoah Gailey-Lazarus Foundation Reichstein Foundation (Member for Melbourne) Justice, RMIT Krystyna Grinberg Members of Stop Data Ahmed Dini Christine Melis Gemma Cafarella Kyle McDonald Remedy Australia Expert Working Group (in alphabetical order): Alison Thorne Chris Atmore Get Up Law Aid Robert Falcone – Melbourne City Council Professor Janet Chan (UNSW), All of our brave clients who City of Melbourne Greg Barns Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) Robert Stary stand up for their rights and City of Moonee Valley Greg Hughan Legal Services Board Professor Chris Cunneen (UNSW), the rights of others Robinson Gill Claire Harris Hall & Wilcox Lawyers Leighton Gwynn Tamar Hopkins (PhD candidate ANU) Amanda Burnnard Rosemary Madden, Centrelink Clare Land Hall & Wilcox Lawyers Liberty Victoria Dr Clare Land (Victoria University) Andrew Diamantis Ruth Shann Clyde Sharady Harry Venice Loddon Campaspe Dr Raul Sanchez-Urribarri Andy Naidoo (African Media Association) Hayley Day – Youth Support & Community Legal Centre Sam Wakhlu (La Trobe University), Arnold Bloch Liebler Cohealth Advocacy Service (YSAS) Lord Mayors Charitable Sarah Leighfield Dr Victoria Sentas (UNSW) Audry Foley Colourcode, Roj and Shen Human Rights Law Centre Foundation (LMCF) Senator Gavin Marshall Associate Professor Leanne Weber (Monash) Australian Communities David Manne Hopetoun Early Years Centre Louise Martin Shorna Moore, WestJustice Foundation Danny Pearson MP Ian Freckleton QC Luke Hilikari and Matt Kunkel, Simon Moglia Australian Lawyers Alliance (State member for Essendon) Indigenous Social Victorian Trades Hall Council Smart Justice for Young People Australian Lawyers Djirra Justice Association Lynda white Springvale Monash for Human Rights (Melbourne and Sydney) Dr Leanne Weber, Lyn Morgain, cohealth Community Legal Service Australian Progress Monash University Inner Melbourne Mahlab Costing Stella Gold Community Legal (IMCL) Bigididge Pty Ltd Dr Nesam McMillan, Maki Issa Stephen Davies Facilities Islamic Council of Victoria Bindy Gross – Melbourne University Maria Autridge St Kilda Legal Service Muckleford Holdings Dr Diana Johns, Natalie Hallam/ Jen Missing Victorian Accreditation Melbourne Activist Property Management Border Crossing Observatory, Melbourne University Legal Support (MALS) Services City of Melbourne Monash University Coordinator Drum Youth Services Melbourne University Law School Stephen Donaghue QC Brad Penno Jennifer Kanis Dyson Hore-Lacy SC Merys Williams Stephen Warne Catherine Boston Jenny Young Education-Justice Partnership Michael Stanton 5 photo credit: Charandev Singh OUR VOLuntEERS We should also acknowledge the volunteer co-ordinators during the 2017- 2018 financial year. Ben Borrelli, Ruth Engelbrecht and Megan Buttigieg were outstanding volunteer co-ordinators. We were sorry to see them go but as a service that supports law students it is always heartening to know that they have gone onto ongoing legal employment. Volunteers