Redfern Legal Centre in Sydney, Australia | Non-profit organisation

Redfern Legal Centre

Locality: Sydney, Australia

Phone: +61 2 9698 7277

Address: 73 Pitt Street, Redfern 2016 Sydney, NSW, Australia

Website: http://www.rlc.org.au

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• Non-profit organisation
• Social service
• Legal service

25.01.2022 Some reflections on NAIDOC Week 2020 from RLC's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Access worker. The 2020 NAIDOC Theme: Always Was, Always Will Be. recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years. We are spiritually and culturally connected to this country. This country was criss-crossed by generations of brilliant Nations. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were Australia’s first explorers, first nav...igators, first engineers, first farmers, first botanists, first scientists, first diplomats, first astronomers and first artists. Australia has the world’s oldest oral stories. The First Peoples engraved the world’s first maps, made the earliest paintings of ceremony and invented unique technologies. We built and engineered structures - structures on Earth - predating well-known sites such as the Egyptian Pyramids and Stonehenge. Our adaptation and intimate knowledge of Country enabled us to endure climate change, catastrophic droughts and rising sea levels. Always Was, Always Will Be. acknowledges that hundreds of Nations and our cultures covered this continent. All were managing the land - the biggest estate on earth - to sustainably provide for their future. Through ingenious land management systems like fire stick farming we transformed the harshest habitable continent into a land of bounty. NAIDOC Week 2020 acknowledges and celebrates that our nation’s story didn’t begin with documented European contact whether in 1770 or 1606 - with the arrival of the Dutch on the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula. The very first footprints on this continent were those belonging to First Nations peoples. Our coastal Nations watched and interacted with at least 36 contacts made by Europeans prior to 1770. Many of them resulting in the charting of the northern, western and southern coastlines of our lands and our waters. For us, this nation’s story began at the dawn of time. NAIDOC 2020 invites all Australians to embrace the true history of this country a history which dates back thousands of generations. It’s about seeing, hearing and learning the First Nations’ 65,000+ year history of this country - which is Australian history. We want all Australians to celebrate that we have the oldest continuing cultures on the planet and to recognise that our sovereignty was never ceded. Always Was, Always Will Be. IMAGE: 'Justice For All' (detail) by Sharon Smith, 2020, Artwork commissioned for Redfern Legal Centre with funding support from City of Sydney. RLC will launch this beautiful artwork during our NAIDOC Week celebrations with RLC staff and board today at Redfern Town Hall.

24.01.2022 Congratulations to UNSW Sydney Law academics Dr Michael Grewcock and Dr Vicki Sentas, who have received awards for research commissioned by RLC to reform unjust strip search law. Released in August 2019, the 'Rethinking Strip Searches by NSW Police' report looks at the operation of strip search laws across the country, exploring concerns around safeguards and transparency, and highlighting opportunities for law reform in NSW. The awards were issued at the inaugural Australian Legal Research Awards (ALRA), the first national award scheme of its kind in Australia for legal academics.

24.01.2022 This is fabulous! Gomeroi woman Rachael McPhail has come up with this incredible campaign to include First Nations place names in postal addresses. She is also calling for Australia Post to compile a database of traditional place names cross-referenced with postcodes, verified by elders in all the communities around Australia. "I want to try and make sure that we capture all of the accurate information before we lose the elders because they're the ones that hold all of the knowledge."

17.01.2022 A new report from the Mitchell Institute has used geographic data mapping to examine the dire impact of coronavirus travel restrictions on international student numbers in Australia, and the longer-term policy implications for the education sector and Australian cities more broadly. The report projects there will 300,000 fewer international students half the pre-coronavirus numbers in Australia by July 2021 if current travel restrictions remain in place. The report author predicts that losses to the economy related to international students will continue to grow, stating that the problem is bigger than just the education sector and that current policy responses may be having only limited impact. Download the report here: bit.ly/38xuzb5

13.01.2022 As the year draws to a close, it's important to recognise that the holiday season is not a time of celebration for everyone. It's a tragic fact that rates of family and domestic violence surge over the Christmas and new year period, and women trapped in abusive relationships need our support. Learn how you can help: bit.ly/37twmx6 Pictured: RLC Financial Abuse Service NSW staff and volunteers working to support financial abuse victim-survivors. (Photo: Dec 2019).

11.01.2022 Over the past year, RLC's employment law practice has been flooded with requests for urgent employment law advice. Many workers sacked from their jobs during COVID-19 have contacted us telling us they do not have enough money to buy food or pay rent. RLC's support has been a lifeline to people in desperate times. Learn more: bit.ly/3mPiKko Donate to our COVID-19 appeal to help us support vulnerable workers, many of whom are ineligible for government support. GIVE NOW: bit.ly.../rlc-donate (Pictured: RLC’s MELS employment solicitor discussing workplace rights with international students from the University of Sydney, February 2020).

11.01.2022 Today is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which also marks the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. The global theme of the 2020 campaign is 'Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!' Amid the global pandemic, all types of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence, has intensified. RLC is dedicated to supporting women facing financial abuse and other forms of gender-based violenc...e. We provide advice, support and referrals through our Financial Abuse Service NSW and other specialist legal practice areas. If you need support, contact us at www.rlc.org.au/contact #orangetheworld #16days

10.01.2022 Redfern Legal Centre is closed for the holidays and reopens on Monday 11 January. We wish you a safe and relaxing holiday break and look forward to working with you again in 2021. For legal help during this time, please see a list of other services here: https://rlc.org.au/rlc-holiday-closure Artwork: 'Justice For All' (detail) by Sharon Smith, 2020.

09.01.2022 This year, RLC uncovered shocking police statistics that show that NSW Police have conducted 271 strip-searches on children in the past two years. (More info: bit.ly/3h9SD6f) Ninety-six children were strip-searched in the last year alone, and a disproportionate number of those (20%) were Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, including an 11-year-old child. Horrific stories of police strip searches continue to come to light, including from children who have been dir...ected to strip naked without the support of a parent or guardian present. You can help support our call for law reform to ensure young people and children are not exposed to harmful strip searches by donating to support our work. GIVE NOW: http://bit.ly/donate-rlc (Pictured: RLC's Police Accountability solicitor presenting a community legal education session on NSW strip search law).

09.01.2022 Sydney tenants are at risk of falling further behind on their rent amid the current lockdown, with concerns for how income losses will affect those already trying to pay off deferred rent from last year. Hundreds of thousands of renters had less than $500 in savings [before the pandemic], they couldn’t come up with money in an emergency and that hasn’t changed, if anything it’s gotten worse, ssys Leo Patterson Ross from the Tenants' Union of NSW. If you need support, contact RLC or your local tenants’ advocacy service for advice and referrals. Find your local service by entering your postcode here: https://www.tenants.org.au/

08.01.2022 Today is the last chance to make a tax-deductible donation to RLC this financial year! Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, RLC has supported more people than ever. Now we need YOUR help to support our most ambitious fundraising initiative yet. Read more: bit.ly/3qz2lE1 We continue to see huge increases in the numbers of people contacting us for help, including people facing eviction and homelessness, women trapped in financially abusive relationships, and First Nations people wit...h complex legal needs. With your help, we will make a huge impact on thousands of people's lives this year. We have until midnight tonight to reach our fundraising goal. Will you help us get there? DONATE: bit.ly/donate-to-RLC

08.01.2022 RLC has today joined with 125 leading consumer advocacy groups, legal and family violence organisations, financial counsellors and others in signing a national open letter raising concerns about Government plans to wind back responsible lending laws that protect people from exploitative lending practices. Together we can protect our communities from unsafe and irresponsible lending. #StopTheDebtDisaster Read the open letter and add your voice here: https://action.choice.com.au/page/69531/petition/1

08.01.2022 Tomorrow is Yabun 2021 Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this year's celebrations are a closed event and will be streamed live at www.yabun.org.au. You can also tune into Koori Radio 93.7 FM from 11am.

07.01.2022 Work with us in 2021! RLC is seeking a Solicitor to run our Health Justice Partnership at the Dalarinji Oral Health Clinic for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from across NSW. This is a permanent part-time position. Applications close 11 Jan at 5pm. APPLY HERE: https://bit.ly/3ayCnL5

07.01.2022 Thank you for supporting RLC's end-of-year giving campaign <3 Here are just some of the many things your donation will help us achieve. Donate here: bit.ly/rlc-donate

05.01.2022 Looking for a career change? Check out this list of current jobs vacancies across the community legal centre sector.

05.01.2022 The 2020 Family Matters Report report, which monitors the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care, highlights a continued escalation in the number of First Nations children removed from their families. The report found that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children now make up 37% of the total out-of-home care population but are only 6% of the total child population in Australia. Furthermore, 81% of Indigenous children a...re on long-term guardianship orders and are thus at serious risk of permanent separation from their families, cultures and communities. Based on the current trajectory, the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care is projected to double by 2029. Our children are 9.7 times more likely to be living away from their families than non-Indigenous children, an over-representation that has increased consistently over the last 10 years. It is time to completely change this broken system that is not working for our kids, the Family Matters chair, Sue-Anne Hunter, said. Download the report here: bit.ly/338Ai3X

04.01.2022 RLC’s financial abuse solicitor Jasmine Opdam spoke to Channel Nine News this week about the proposed wind back of responsible lending laws, and our concerns this will have dire consequences for people experiencing financial abuse. In November, RLC signed an open letter alongside 125 other organisations raising these concerns. Read the letter here: bit.ly/39GhI5J

03.01.2022 Want to join our team? RLC is seeking a Legal Administrative Assistant to provide administrative support to the legal practice of the Centre. Hours to be negotiated, full time (35 hours) or part time (21-28 hours), fixed term until 31 December 2021. Applications close: Monday 11 January 2021 at 5pm. INFO: bit.ly/2Ky2MNW

03.01.2022 Transgender Day of Remembrance 2020 Save the date - Friday 20 November Every year, Transgender Day of Remembrance honours the memory of transgender people who have lost their lives through transphobic violence. We light a candle, we say their names, we honour and remember them.... This year, a live online event will be seen across the globe. Curated by Bhenji Ra and featuring a cast of BIPOC transgender and gender-diverse performers, the event will be a stunning commemoration of friends and family we have lost but will always remember. You are invited you to watch at home, light a candle (real or digital) and reflect with us on the friends and family we have lost. The event will be live on Facebook here:

03.01.2022 Starting this Thursday! DEADLY BROTHERS, a weekly men's group run by Deadly Connections. WHY: free feed, yarn, support.... WHEN: Every Thursday 12.30 - 2.30 pm (starting from Thursday 26 November) WHERE: Waterloo Greens basketball courts, Raglan Street No bookings needed, just drop by! enquiries: www.deadlyconnections.org.au 18004USMOB

03.01.2022 During NAIDOC Week 2020, the Aboriginal Legal Service is celebrating a huge milestone: 50 years since it opened its doors. In 1970, the ALS in Redfern was established as the first Aboriginal legal service in Australia as well as the first free legal service in the country. This Friday 13 November at 12:45pm you’re invited to join a free webinar celebrating 50 years of protest, resistance and Aboriginal community-controlled legal services.... Sign up here: www.alsnswact.org.au/naidoc_webinar_event

01.01.2022 NAIDOC Week begins today, running from 8-15 November. This year's theme is, 'Always Was, Always Will Be'. NAIDOC Week 2020 acknowledges and celebrates that our nation’s story didn’t begin with documented European contact. 'Always Was, Always Will Be' recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years. RLC will be joining various NAIDOC Week events this week, including holding a celebration at our offices in Redfern Town Ha...ll to launch our new First Nations artwork, which has been created for RLC by Wiradjuri Artist, Sharon Smith to welcome the community to our centre. Learn more about First Nations history and culture, and find NAIDOC Week events in your local community here: https://www.naidoc.org.au/get-involved/naidoc-week-events