We value, respect and are committed to diversity and inclusion for all.
Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre (LCCLC) is based in Bendigo and provides free legal information, advice and representation services to people living in Central Victoria.
Goulburn Valley Community Legal Centre (GVCLC) is based in Shepparton and provides free legal information, advice and representation services to people living in Northern and North East Victoria.
Everyone has the right to safe and secure housing. Housing Justice stands up for the rights of tenants, helping people to solve their tenancy problems and stay in their rental homes.
ARC Justice supports the 2017 Uluru Statement from the Heart in full, in which First Nations peoples called for constitutional recognition and the establishment of a Voice to parliament, and Makarrata (or Treaty) as the ‘coming together after a struggle’. The Voice is the means chosen by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders peoples, after careful and longstanding deliberation of the options available.
We at ARC Justice acknowledge the considerable harm of celebrating our national identity on the anniversary of a day of dispossession, colonialisation and suffering for
Our thoughts are with all those who are impacted by the extensive flooding across North and Central Victoria. In addition to the physical damage, disasters
The Board of ARC Justice, encompassing Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre, Goulburn Valley Community Legal Centre, and Housing Justice programs, is delighted to advise the
More than two thirds of ARC Justice clients experience or have a legal problem relating to family violence. Being able to access timely legal advice and other specialist supports is critical to the safety, wellbeing and recovery of victim/survivors and their children.
Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre has been working with the Centre for Non-Violence to make legal help services more accessible to women affected by family violence in the Greater Bendigo region.
In 2019, the Bendigo Family Violence Justice Project was formed with a grant from the Frances and Harold Abbott Foundation. This project involves a lawyer from LCCLC co-located at the CNV office providing integrated legal support to women affected by family violence and with related legal issues.
Since it’s formation the BFVJP has assisted 254 women who may otherwise have struggled to access legal assistance.
These women now have access to legal help in a safe, private and supportive environment at CNV. Working alongside family violence case managers at CNV, the BFVJP lawyer provides legal help with intervention orders, family law parenting and property matters, child protection, and civil law matters commonly associated with family violence such as housing, credit and debt.
LCCLC and CNV have also been working closely with The Orange Door (family violence referral hub) in Bendigo to strengthen referral pathways for women in need of legal assistance, and to build capacity to identify and respond to family violence and related legal needs in a timely manner.
Over the last 18 months, rates of family violence in Greater Bendigo have increased by 18%, exacerbated by the social and economic impacts of COVID-19. Demand for family violence legal assistance is growing. Building on strong foundations, a well-tested partnership and integrated service model, and demonstrated client outcomes, the BFVJP is well-placed to meet this need and aims to expand its services in 2022.
The BFVJP is made possible by the generous support of our philanthropic partners, the Frances and Harold Abbott Foundation and W.C.F. Thomas Trust, administered by Equity Trustees.
Learn more about the project here.
ARC Justice © 2020. All rights reserved.
Advocacy and Rights Centre Ltd trading as ARC Justice ABN 23 082 541 240 ARC Justice incorporates Loddon Campaspe and Goulburn Valley Community Legal Centres and Housing Justice.
ARC Justice recognises that social and cultural diversity is an integral and valuable component of Australian Society. We acknowledge and respect cultural differences and embrace diversity within our organisation and the communities in which we work.
ARC Justice acknowledges Aboriginal Peoples as the traditional and current custodians of the land upon which we work. We respect that this land always was and always will be Aboriginal land. Aboriginal sovereignty has never been ceded.
We pay our respect to Elders past and present, as well as all Aboriginal people who have fought, and continue to fight, for equality, self-determination, culture, Country and community.
ARC Justice is a child-safe organisation and is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people.
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