The Community Legal Centres Queensland Impact Report 2021 was launched by the Queensland Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Shannon Fentiman MP at a Parliamentary event today.
The 2021 report tells stories of change in our communities and presents evidence of the effect community legal centres have on their clients and stakeholders.
The report says Queensland community legal centres have had a significant impact on communities across the state providing:
- Appropriate and effective client services
- Increased knowledge and access to services that meet the community’s legal needs
- Support to the justice system to effectively operate and make policy and practice decisions, and
- Meaningful professional experiences to volunteers.
Community Legal Centres Queensland Director Rosslyn Monro said: “The 2021 Impact Report tells us community legal centres are making a difference to people by improving their safety, wellbeing and inclusion.
“The majority of people helped by community legal centres told us they felt they were listened to and they were satisfied by how their legal matter was resolved.”
Queensland’s community legal centres help people who cannot afford a lawyer or are unable to get legal aid.
They support people with a wide range of legal problems including family and domestic violence, relationship breakdown, employment issues, debt, consumer problems and tenancy disputes.
“More than two thirds of community legal centre clients are experiencing financial disadvantage and three in five women are experiencing domestic and family violence,” Mrs Monro added.
Community legal centres work to prevent problems arising by providing legal education, and by working with government and other bodies to improve unfair laws and processes.
The report highlights the positive impact on stakeholders and the work for the future to meet the legal needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged Queenslanders. It shows vulnerable and disadvantage people and communities require tailored services that understand their diverse access needs.
The need to continually innovate in service delivery and increase collaboration is the ongoing future challenge of a sector with finite resources.
See the full report here.