Page 1625 - Week 06 - Wednesday, 2 June 2021

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(a) Canberra Community Law (CCL) has been providing free legal services to Canberrans on low incomes for over 30 years, specialising in public housing, Centrelink and race and disability discrimination law; and

(b) CCL continues to experience increased demand and greater complexity due to the COVID-19 pandemic;

(2) further notes:

(a) short-term COVID-related funding ceases by 30 June 2021;

(b) private and non-government funding has also reduced during the pandemic; and

(3) calls on the ACT government to provide funding certainty for CCL within the next seven days.

Canberra is home to so many amazing organisations made up of dedicated and hardworking individuals who go to work every day seeking to improve the lives of others. Canberra Community Law—or CCL as it is affectionately known in acronym-heavy Canberra—is an independent community legal centre that provides flexible and accessible legal services free of charge to members of the community facing financial barriers or other challenges. It is the only free legal service that specialises in public housing, Centrelink and race and disability discrimination law.

Canberra Community Law has been standing up for struggling Canberrans for almost 35 years. CCL is ably led by the inspiring Genevieve Bolton. Genevieve is a recipient of the Australian Human Rights Commission Law Award, a Medal of the Order of Australia, and was named on the ACT Women’s Honour Roll in 2018. Genevieve and her team have responded to the changing and increasing legal needs of Canberrans with professional, trauma-informed and culturally sensitive legal services. The support they provide empowers their clients to face their challenges and aspire to a better life.

When the pandemic hit last year, CCL moved quickly to establish a COVID-19 legal clinic and the Canberra covid legal help website in response to heightened demand for legal assistance during this enormously challenging time. Job losses, associated mental health issues and increased instances of domestic and family violence have created a greater need for community legal services. Between July and December 2020, compared with the same period in 2019, CCL saw a 10 per cent increase in total clients, with a 17.2 per cent increase in clients in the critical areas of housing and social services.

Last year alone CCL provided free legal help to 859 clients, 93 per cent of whom were experiencing financial disadvantage and 68 per cent of whom were experiencing or at risk of homelessness. There was also a significant increase in the total number of legal advices, up by 25 per cent, confirmation of the increased workload across the organisation.

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