General legal assistance and information Free civil legal advice and support for residents of Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Nambucca. The Mid North Coast Community Legal Centre (MNCCLC) is pleased to have opened its second office in Coffs Harbour with additional government funding. The local government areas of Coffs Harbour, Nambucca and Bellingen were identified by the Cameron Review in 2018 as a gap in the Services of the Community Legal Centre. Individuals seeking legal advice may contact the Service at (02) 6580 2111 or info@mncclc.org.au. “The MNCCLC will provide civil legal advice, advocacy and training to empower individuals to know their rights and resolve their disputes. We will provide additional civil services to these areas, including advice, information and education on loans or debts, employment, fines and traffic, car accidents, domestic and domestic violence, discrimination, policing, victim compensation, powers of attorney and government services,” said Jane Titterington, Principal Investigator. In the first few months, the ministry focused primarily on building meaningful relationships with community members, lawyers and community services. When building these relationships, it was important to remain flexible as we learn more about the individual needs of our new catchment area. Employees appreciate the process of gathering information to determine where our limited resources are best positioned to provide service to those who need it most. These include people affected by homelessness, those who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, and people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds,” said Jacquie Hudson. The Mid North Coast Community Legal Centre enjoyed a fun morning celebrating the new service with the community and stakeholders on October 30, 2019. Mr. Gurmesh Singh, Member of Parliament for the State of Coffs Harbour and Mr.
Pat Conaghan, Member of Parliament for Cowper, supported the opening, which will include a traditional smoking ceremony, speeches and morning tea. The report by the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW, which documents legal needs in New South Wales, notes that 16.6% of the population of Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Nambucca has an above-average number of people suffering from financial deprivation and a significantly higher percentage of elderly people than the New South Wales average. In the Bowraville, Nambucca Heads and Macksville area alone, fine debt averages $1991.35 per customer, which is higher than the New South Wales state average. There is also a large CALD population, as it is a targeted settlement area for refugees and migrants. Coffs Harbour, Bellingen and Nambucca are also home to more than six hundred young people separated from education and employment. This group of young people includes those receiving care outside the home that the Mid North Coast CLC is currently supporting through the LevelUp project, which is funded by the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW until December 2019. LevelUp will now continue beyond December 2019 thanks to newly received government funds. NRCLC staff are available to provide legal training on a variety of legal issues and community legal centre services to community workers, clients and members of the community at large. “Although we have two offices, we have ensured that a collaborative approach is taken to all aspects of the expansion, including the implementation of integrated phone systems and a centralized digital registration process,” commented attorney Zac Keizer. “Small decisions like these mean we continue to work as a team to help people solve their civil law issues. There are always many opportunities for cooperation, knowledge sharing and improved practices, as we face the various start-up problems associated with setting up a new service. “Photo: MNCCLC employees in their new office in Coffs Harbour.
Maintaining a team approach to all tasks was a fundamental part of the successful deployment. We tried to ensure a collaborative approach to all aspects of the expansion, which resulted in a real sense of unity and positive energy from all employees to see success. We recognize the traditional custodians of the land on which our offices are located, and we honour the elders of the past, present and future. We recognize the suffering of stolen generations and the impact of colonization on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We also recognize the resilience, strength and pride of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We were fortunate that one of our existing Port Macquarie team members, Zac, moved to the Coffs Harbour office, which means they can share their knowledge of the department`s policies and procedures and help new employees settle into our team. “With this increased government funding, we will double our presence on the mid north coast and cover three new local government areas: Nambucca Shire, Bellingen Shire and Coffs Harbour (south of Woolgoolga),” said Catherine Peek, Executive Director of the Mid North Coast CLC. MNCLC operates under the auspices of advocacy Law Alliance Inc. (ALA). ALA includes the fiduciary duty of CLC`s staff, in particular the duty of confidentiality and loyalty to CLC`s customers.
ALA uses documented barriers to information and various compliance procedures and monitored practices that limit the confidential flow of client information between DANSW/ALA employees, volunteers and managers, and CLC employees and volunteers. The Women`s Domestic Violence and Court Advocacy Service is a free local service that supports women and children who are victims of domestic violence. Monday to Thursday9:09am -4pm (telephone lines open on Fridays) MNCLC is funded by the Community Legal Centres Programme run by Legal Aid NSW. Our new office will consist of lawyers Zac Keizer and Kelly Français, as well as Jacquie Hudson, Administrative and Client Services Assistant.
