Urgent call for increased community legal resources

Fairfield, Canterbury Bankstown and Liverpool ranked 1st, 3rd and 4th in Metropolitan NSW as having the greatest need for legal assistance (NLAS ranking by Law and Justice Foundation). In fact, Fairfield LGA ranks 1st across NSW in all areas of legal need. The need for legal assistance is high because SWS ranks high on every measure of socio-economic disadvantage and with a large migrant population, many also have the additional barrier of language.  
 
Despite the significant need for legal assistance, and that the areas where we work in SWS is rapidly growing with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is predicted to experience significant population growth, Justice Support Centre (JSC) as the primary community legal centre operating in SWS currently only has funding for six permanent lawyers plus management. We are forced every day to prioritise the most urgent needs and turn away one in two people – and we know from our research that this is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’. 

We have lobbied our local State MPs, David Saliba, Jihad Dib, and Charishma Kaliyanda, to make them aware of the significant unmet legal need in SWS. We know they are all lobbying the Attorney General, Hon. Michael Daley, to focus more resources in SWS as a high priority. 

Despite all the lobbying we were told recently by the Attorney General that the only additional funding over the next five years is $3 -3.5million across all of NSW.  If shared equally amongst LGA’s, this would not even fund an additional lawyer for JSC.    

The Attorney General has indicated that he will consider directing more of the new funding to ‘high priority areas’. On his current plan it is unlikely, despite all the evidence, that SWS, will be seen as high priority.

We need people to write to the Attorney General, Michael Daley at electorateoffice.fairfield@parliament.nsw.gov.au and advocate for the more community legal resources in their electorate. Also, if you are able, we invite you to donate to the vital work of JSCLC. 

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Sources: 

• Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) 
• SEIFA Index of Disadvantage (SEIFA) 
• Need for Legal Assistance (NLAS) rankings 
• Health Stats NSW