Community Legal Centres are independent, non-profit organisations that provide free legal information to assist you in understanding and protecting your legal rights. They provide confidential advice aimed at assisting people in making informed choices and decisions about the options available to them. Within the legal system, they also perform important roles in court representation, advocacy, law reform, test case litigation, referrals and community legal education. This section includes information related to Welfare Law although more information can be found in the Family Law Topic. For legal centres specifically for women, visit our Women's Legal Services section.

ACOSS is the national peak council of the community welfare sector in Australia. The principal voice of low income and disadvantaged people in social and economic policy matters. ACOSS aims to end poverty and help build a just and inclusive society that values difference and the right of all people and communities to the social and economic resources they need to control their own lives.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare is Australia's national agency for health and welfare statistics and information.

Centrelink delivers services, programs and payments for government departments. Their website can make it easier for you to explore your options, know what questions to ask and find out more about how we can help you.

Provides full text of reports and transcripts/hansard. Current inquiries into Disability Services Amendment Bill, Nursing and Child Migration.

CLSP purchases general and specialised legal services from a variety of organisations on behalf of the most needy members of the Australian community. It is therefore an important part of the Commonwealth's broader commitment to achieving equitable and improved access to legal services in the community.

The National Association of Community Legal Centres is the association of state community legal centre organisations in Australia. This site provides centre contact details (and national network contacts), an on-line copy of many of our reports and papers, past national conference resolutions and a list of publications produced by community legal centres since 1995.

The guide is divided in eight parts covering Key Terms & Principles, Claim Lodgement & Verification, Qualification & Payability, Income & Assets, Rates & Payment Methods, Reviews, Debts & Payment Recovery, Portability & CFP and Administration Act Provisions.

The Department of Veterans’ Affairs portfolio is made up of a number of agencies responsible for carrying out Government policy and implementing programs to fulfil Australia’s obligations to war veterans and their dependants.

Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services report on Welfare Reform and related materials are available here.

Contact and general information about all of the Welfare Rights Centres in Australia. Provides information on Payments, Debts, Compensation, Migrants/Residents and appeals. The purpose of the NWRN is to assist its member organisations, individual Welfare Rights services throughout Australia, in their work to reduce poverty, hardship and inequality in Australia by:

providing advice and assistance to individuals to ensure they can exercise their rights, fulfil their obligations and maximise their entitlements under the Australian Social Security system; and

advocating for the maintenance of a Social Security system that has legal rights, obligations and entitlements detailed under, and protected by law.

Listings of Australian Capital Territory Legal Centres without websites including Contact, Location and services.

A Community Legal Centre specialising in public interest environmental law. They provide free newsletters, submissions & wallpaper online.

Provides legal advice and assistance specialising in social security, tenancy and student assistance. In conjunction with the Tenants Union (ACT), operates the Tenants Advice Service, the Disability Discrimination Legal Service and a night time legal advice service.

Listings of New South Wales Legal Centres without websites including Contact, Location details and services.

Arts Law gives preliminary advice and information to artists and arts organisations across all artforms on a wide range of arts related legal and business matters including contracts, copyright, business names and structures, defamation, insurance and employment. They have a range of publications online relating to film, indigenous, moral rights, music, performing arts, tax, visual arts & writing.

Specialising in media and communications law and policy. They work in four main areas - research, teaching, public education and legal advice. They provide information online on news, research & policy and provide publications on broadcasting, privacy, free speech & defamation, universal service & regional communications, media ownership, internet & online services, content & audiovisual production/screen industries, telecommunications, spectrum management, print media, journalism & media ethics.

Specialising in environmental law, they provide a free weekly bulletin, forest protest fact sheet, and other publications online. They also provide information on getting legal advice and policy work, law reform and helpful links.

Halc Can assist with a range of legal problems which include Medical Treatment Issues, Sentencing Kit, Making a Will, Powers of Attorney, Enduring Guardianships, Discrimination. This site is very poorly maintained and incomplete. Their contact information is the most useful section of this site.

Promotes the rights of people with intellectual disabilities. Provides legal advice, eduction, resources and publications to those with a disability, their family, carers and friends. Assists lawyers working with people with an intellectual disability.

Provides free telephone general legal advice and ongoing assistance to people on low incomes who live in the Macarthur area near Sydney. Specialist expertise in child support, family law, domestic violence, consumer credit, immigration and social security.

Legal rights information for people under 18 by state. There is a section where you can have your questions answered by email. They also have online answers to common questions affecting children & youths.

The current case and policy work of RLC is concentrated on issues such as consumer credit, debt, tenancy, domestic violence and victims of crime. They perform legal advice & referral services, casework, legal education, and attempt to identify legal inequalities to provide assistance for. They have tenants rights, debit & credit fact sheets accessible online. This site also features information on law reform and current news & events.

Free legal advice, referral, and advocacy for a range of individuals and groups in the community, especially those on low incomes or otherwise disadvantaged in their access to justice. They provide an online inquiry form and information about their services online.

They provide Multi-lingual Fact Sheets, a directory of tenancy services and organisations by postcode, a tenants rights manual, sample letters, publications and other resources. There is also current news & answers to common questions.

Their goals are to facilitate the provision of legal advice and assistance to the community; to provide community legal education; to establish a resource centre for community legal education projects; and to consider the need for and lobby for law reform. Contact information available online.

Specialising in public interest environmental law. Contact information available online.

Listings of Queensland Legal Centres without websites including Contact, Location details and services.

Their vision is to respect and strengthen traditional women’s law, to empower indigenous women to confidently and competently assert their human rights. To strive to ensure that they and their children have effective and equitable access to culturally appropriate justice services. Contact information is available online.

Specialising in public interest environmental law. They provide fact sheets, news and information on law reform.

They provide information on the law for young people by age, topic and quiz. There is also a very useful email service that can provide a question & answer each week for people working in this industry. Some topics include children's court, police, glossary, human rights, school suspensions & exclusions and information for people working with young people.

Systems advocacy organisation for people with disabilities. Also provides individual legal advocacy for people with disability.

Community legal and welfare service for young people between 10 and 16 years and their families living in and around Brisbane. Focus is on criminal law as it relates to minors. Casework, law reform, community legal education.

Listings of South Australian Legal Centres without websites including Contact, Location details and services.

Specialising in public interest environmental law. They provide free research & publications online but be warned that they are in pdf format. They do not let you know this in advance nor do they provide information on how to access pdf documents from this section.

The Welfare Rights Centre is committed to the provision of information, assistance and advocacy, which changes and enhances the power of people reliant on the Social Security system.

Listings of Tasmanian Legal Centres without websites including Contact, Location details and services.

A Community Legal Centre specialising in public interest environmental law. They provide online newsletters and submissions.

Including the Bridgewater office. Hobart Community Legal Service is a community organisation whose aims are: to foster community awareness of the law; to make the law more equitable and accessible to the public; and to provide free legal advice and referral to the general public in southern Tasmania. They provide information online about child support, welfare rights advocacy and court support services. Keep up to date with recent news and articles.

Listings of Victorian Legal Centres without websites including Contact, Location details and services.

The Consumer Law Centre Victoria (CLCV) is a leading consumer advocacy organisation. The Centre's mission is to advance the interests of low-income and vulnerable consumers in Australia.

DVIRC is a statewide resource centre for information about domestic violence and sexual assault. They provide education & training, publications, newsletter, library, consultation for workers, information & referrals.

They publish education & resource materials on wills, power of attorney & motor vehicle collision kits. This can be ordered online for a small fee. This site mainly provides information on the services they offer.

A community legal service practising in public interest environmental & planning law. They provide information on Law Reform, ordering their publications, a free bulletin and links.

The Essendon Community Legal Centre is free and open to anyone who lives or works in the City of Moonee Valley, and surrounding suburbs. It provides free legal advice, information and a referral service.

The Fitzroy Legal Service provides Legal Advice to citizens, takes part in Law Reform and Community Legal Education and manages Casework. This site contains general information about their services and is being redeveloped to provide more information online.

Job Watch is a Victorian community legal centre specialising in employment and training law. Covers common job hunting traps such as Unpaid Trial Work, Mail Order Scams, Independent Contracting Traps, Misleading Advertising, Modelling and Private Training Courses.

RMIT Union legal service provides free comprehensive legal advice to all RMIT students. The legal service is a legal practice run by a solicitor. This website consists of some links and basic information on their services.

A site for residential tenants living in Victoria, Australia who require information on their legal rights and community resources. They provide policy bulletins on Student Accommodation, Caravan Park Rights, Security of Tenure, Violence Provisions & Rent Regulation. They also provide information on their services, fact sheets, news, links & a multilingual section for people with English as a second language.

The service focus is upon an integrated and co-ordinated system which is restorative in its approach and assists victims of crime, in a holistic, responsive and caring manner. VRAS operates a Helpline staffed by trained professional advisers who can inform callers about the steps they can take to manage the effects of a crime.

A Statewide Community Legal Centre specialising in disability related legal issues. They provide online information sheets, newsletters and information about their services.

The Welfare Rights Unit is an independent community legal centre which specialises in social security issues. They have information online pertaining to appeals, marital status and an explanation of your rights.

Listings of Western Australian Legal Centres without websites including Contact, Location details and services.

You can browse newsletters, annual reports, articles and publications, find out about the Bush Lawyer and apply for legal assistance on this site. They have five concise Fact Sheets dealing with key issues which you can download.

The MHLC is a Statewide Community Legal Centre specialising in mental health law. Their primary service is to provide legal advice and representation to people who are involuntary patients in the mental health system. They may also be able to assist with other legal problems but only if the problem relates directly to mental illness. They provide general information on their services online as well as some free publications in word and pdf formats.

An organisation working with the community to prevent crime by providing services and supports within the justice system and related areas such as employment, education, training, counselling, the family and so on. They provide general information on employer support, offender support and their services online.

Sussex Street Community Law Service Inc. is a free and readily accessible legal service to low income and disadvantaged people in the community. It provides access to accountable, non judgmental and effective services targeted to people's needs, with an emphasis on the gaining of knowledge and resources. They also provide "The Crash Kit" online. A booklet giving advice on the full range of legal issues arising from motor vehicle accidents.

Statewide specialist community legal centre providing tenancy services to tenants and community workers. Services include information, advice, advocacy, public interest casework, education, training, publications, policy research and development, law reform and resourcing to locally based tenancy and other community workers. Telephone Advice Line: M, T, Th, F 9.30 am to 12.30 pm on 08 9221 0088 and 1.30 to 2.30 pm on 1800 621 888.

Specialises in providing free information, advice, advocacy & referral services. They provide self advocacy kits online for social security appeals and administrative appeals tribunal.