News and media

Media spokespeople

Victoria Legal Aid’s experienced legal and community sector professionals can provide detailed information and background briefings. They may also be available for interview or comment.

Media contact

If you are from the media and would like us to help with your media enquiry, contact the Manager of Strategic Communications and Media Slavka Scott – phone (03) 9269 0312 or (mobile) 0419 337 732. 

News and media releases

Our news and media releases are listed below. Also see Legal Aid Brief and Annual reports.

 

• New legal service for Victorians who have faced discrimination
  Date: 23 Feb 2012
  Victoria Legal Aid and the Public Interest Law Clearing House have established the Equal Opportunity Legal Service to help low-income and disadvantaged people who have experienced discrimination or harassment.
• New Frankston civil law service to benefit Mornington Peninsula
  Date: 22 Feb 2012
  With World Social Justice Day as the backdrop, our Frankston office hosted an event to highlight our plans to help more people with civil legal problems.
• Our latest submissions on people smuggling laws
  Date: 20 Feb 2012
  We continue to contribute our casework experience to discussions about people smuggling laws. We recently prepared two more submissions to inquiries about minors suspected of people smuggling offences.
• VLA welcomes positive results in Client Satisfaction Survey 2011
  Date: 08 Feb 2012
  Satisfaction with VLA services is high according to a recent client survey.
• Information about family law now available in Vietnamese
  Date: 18 Jan 2012
  Information about family law matters has been translated into Vietnamese.
• Hailstorms and family problems lead to busy time for Legal Help
  Date: 12 Jan 2012
  There has been increased demand for Legal Help over the summer break, with family tensions and the recent hail damage leading to extra calls for legal information.
• Victoria Legal Aid services available to meet upsurge in legal problems over holiday period
  Date: 29 Dec 2011
  Legal Help can assist Victorians with their legal problems over the Christmas period.
• Legal Help available over holiday season
  Date: 22 Dec 2011
  VLA's Legal Help phone service is open during the holiday season to help you with your legal problems. The free service is open Monday to Friday 8.45 am to 5.15 pm (closed public holidays).
• Another case highlights the urgent need for fines system reform
  Date: 16 Dec 2011
  The second case in as many weeks involving unpaid fines, where there is no right of appeal, has been decided in the Supreme Court, highlighting the urgent need for infringements law to change.
• Court test case highlights urgent need for fines system reform
  Date: 09 Dec 2011
  A test case decided in the Supreme Court today highlights the urgent need for reform of the fines system, according to Victoria Legal Aid.
• Another young Indonesian accused of people smuggling to return home
  Date: 01 Dec 2011
  The Commonwealth has dropped an aggravated people smuggling charge in another case involving a young Indonesian man, the second in as many weeks, following a decision made by Magistrate Collins today.
• Information about family law now available in Chinese
  Date: 30 Nov 2011
  Publications about the most common family law concerns are now available in Chinese.
• Speak out against violence on White Ribbon Day
  Date: 24 Nov 2011
  Victoria Legal Aid is supporting White Ribbon Day on 25 November.
• Tyler Cassidy inquest: coroner's recommendations on training welcomed by VLA
  Date: 23 Nov 2011
  VLA is pleased that Coroner Jennifer Coate has today recommended the introduction of youth-specific training for Victoria Police in her findings on the inquest into the shooting of teenager Tyler Cassidy.
• Information about family law now available in Arabic
  Date: 21 Nov 2011
  Publications about the most common family law concerns are now available in Arabic.
• Victoria Legal Aid wins bid to have 15-year-old boy accused of people smuggling returned home to Indonesia
  Date: 16 Nov 2011
  The Commonwealth dropped an aggravated people smuggling charge against a 15-year-old Indonesian boy, after Victoria Legal Aid obtained evidence he was under 18.
• Disaster Legal Help to continue to provide legal information to Victorian communities
  Date: 10 Nov 2011
  Victorians affected by disasters can receive free legal information online.
• Victoria Legal Aid shares the Herald Sun's child protection investigation concerns
  Date: 25 Oct 2011
  Comment from VLA's Managing Director about Victoria's child protection system in response to a Herald Sun investigation.
• Family matters to top the agenda
  Date: 12 Oct 2011
  Victoria Legal Aid is running a free Family Law Matters seminar on Friday 21 October 2011in Frankston.
• Family matters to top the agenda
  Date: 12 Oct 2011
  Family law matters are top on the agenda at a free Victoria Legal Aid seminar to be held on Friday 21 October 2011.
• Victoria Legal Aid welcomes new Chairperson and Board member
  Date: 27 Sep 2011
  Managing Director Bevan Warner has welcomed the appointment of a new Chairperson and Board member to Victoria Legal Aid.
• Free wireless at the VLA Public Law Library
  Date: 26 Sep 2011
  Our Public Law Library now has free wireless internet access.
• Annual report tabled
  Date: 15 Sep 2011
  Victoria Legal Aid's annual report 2010–11 was tabled in the Parliament on Thursday 15 September and shows that we continued to play an important role in helping vulnerable and disadvantaged people this year.
• Learning about rights with Space Invaders
  Date: 15 Sep 2011
  Young people from eight schools in Melbourne learned about their rights and responsibilities when dealing with police when they attended a performance of an innovative theatre project.
• Annual report confirms broad value of legal aid
  Date: 15 Sep 2011
  Victoria Legal Aid’s annual report confirms the community’s need for its services with increased demand across a broad range of legal problems.
• Experiencing mortgage stress? Take action
  Date: 07 Sep 2011
  Find out how to take action if you are experiencing mortgage stress.
• New stalking laws introduced
  Date: 05 Sep 2011
  New laws have been introduced to protect community members from stalking and other threatening behaviour.
• Celebrating 30 years of Victoria Legal Aid
  Date: 01 Sep 2011
  Victoria Legal Aid came to life today 30 years ago in 1981.
• Victoria Legal Aid challenges prison sentence for a man with an intellectual disability who failed to pay fines
  Date: 28 Jul 2011
  Victoria Legal Aid will represent a man with an intellectual disability in the Supreme Court today in a bid to have his prison sentence overturned and his case re-heard.
• Victoria Legal Aid Board visits Shepparton
  Date: 27 Jul 2011
  The Victoria Legal Aid Board and Managing Director are visiting Shepparton this week to meet local legal and community workers.
• Why the rush? Amendments to social security laws
  Date: 20 Jul 2011
  Managing Director Bevan Warner looks at recent amendments to Australia’s social security laws. The retrospective legislation means that somebody who did nothing wrong at the time may now find they committed a crime over a decade ago.
• August Briefcase newsletter now available
  Date: 18 Jul 2011
  The latest edition of Briefcase looks at our efforts to reduce court delays and our Talented Junior Counsel Program.
• Victoria Legal Aid reminds earthquake affected people to seek insurance help
  Date: 07 Jul 2011
  Victorians are urged to get more information about their insurance rights and to lodge an insurance claim if they have been affected by the recent Victorian earthquake.
• Legal education for new arrivals provides benefits for all
  Date: 07 Jul 2011
  Legal aid commissions have combined to support a National Legal Aid project which has produced a free educational resource which can be used in English as a Second Language (ESL) classes to educate new arrivals about the law.
• New program targets talented juniors in a bid to cut Victoria’s court delays
  Date: 04 Jul 2011
  Fourteen junior barristers will work with some of the state’s most experienced and accomplished senior trial advocates in the Talented Junior Counsel Program – the first of its kind in Australia.
• National Bulk Debt project writes-off debts for vulnerable clients
  Date: 30 Jun 2011
  Financial counsellors and community legal centre lawyers are invited to be part of an innovative National Bulk Debt project that negotiates debt waivers on behalf of groups of disadvantaged and vulnerable clients.
• Rugged up for a good cause
  Date: 17 Jun 2011
  Managing Director Bevan Warner took part in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout on Thursday 16 June to experience homelessness first hand for one night and raise money for Vinnies' homeless services.
• Victorian legal sector celebrates 30 years of Victoria Legal Aid
  Date: 10 Jun 2011
  Victoria Legal Aid celebrated a milestone anniversary with an event attended by present and former attorneys-general, as well as many other well-wishers from the Victorian legal sector.
• Bold new work of art celebrates 30 years of Victoria Legal Aid
  Date: 10 Jun 2011
  A work entitled Access to Justice for all by artist Sue E. Armstrong has been unveiled to mark Victoria Legal Aid's 30th anniversary.
• 30 years of legal aid has turned lives around
  Date: 09 Jun 2011
  Victoria Legal Aid's 30th anniversary is the ideal opportunity to highlight the breadth of its work in the community
• Victoria Legal Aid launches its Strategic Plan 2011–14
  Date: 09 Jun 2011
  The Strategic Plan was launched on 9 June 2011 as part of the 30th anniversary celebrations.
• Submission highlights improvements for flood insurance
  Date: 16 May 2011
  A number of community organisations have developed a joint consumer submission to the Federal Government about flood insurance coverage following the recent natural disasters in Victoria and Queensland.
• The steps to family reunion
  Date: 03 May 2011
  The Victorian Legal Assistance Forum launched a report highlighting its project supporting young refugees who need legal help to bring their families to Australia.
• New talent to grow justice and help reduce court delays
  Date: 20 Apr 2011
  The Talented Junior Counsel Program was launched today as one of a number of initiatives aimed at improving the conduct of criminal trials in Victoria.
• Support from the Chief
  Date: 18 Apr 2011
  Family Court Chief Justice the Hon Diana Bryant threw her support behind the proposed changes to the family law eligibility guidelines last week.
• A Fair Go in Insurance
  Date: 03 Feb 2011
  Victoria Legal Aid is part of a coalition of consumer advocacy and legal aid organisations that has released 12 recommendations for reform of the insurance industry.
• More Victorians to be supported through legal aid
  Date: 18 Jan 2011
  From today, people with up to $300,000 equity in their home will now be considered for a grant of legal assistance.
• Legal help for flood affected
  Date: 18 Jan 2011
  Victoria Legal Aid help those affected by the Victorian floods.
• Do Not Knock comes out on film
  Date: 09 Dec 2010
  Victoria Legal Aid is launching the film 'Dealing with door-to-door sales' to educate older people about their rights.
• Family harmony comes to Shepparton
  Date: 13 Oct 2010
  Victoria Legal Aid is running information sessions in Shepparton about family law issues for newly arrived migrants, including those from Sudan, Burundi and Congo.
• Victoria Legal Aid urges insurance claims by flood affected
  Date: 22 Sep 2010
  Victoria Legal Aid is urging those affected by the recent Victorian floods to lodge an insurance claim even if they think they may not be covered for flood.
• Legal aid helps more people in tough times
  Date: 16 Sep 2010
  Victoria Legal Aid funded 44,055 grants of legal assistance last financial year, a jump of 5 per cent on the previous year, according to its annual report tabled in Parliament today.
• ‘Do Not Knock’ picks up across the south west
  Date: 19 May 2010
  Victoria Legal Aid and the South West Community Legal Centre in Warrnambool are offering local residents free ‘Do Not Knock’ stickers to deter door-to-door salespeople.
• Justice getting further out of reach
  Date: 28 Apr 2010
  Strong interest and unmet demand for legal assistance within the community was confirmed today by Kristen Hilton, Director of Civil Law Services at Victoria Legal Aid.
• Free law assistance for Maryborough and district residents
  Date: 13 Apr 2010
  Maryborough and district residents can access free general and family law specific assistance through an outreach service offered by Victoria Legal Aid (Ballarat).
• Free family law service for Kyneton residents
  Date: 12 Apr 2010
  Residents of Kyneton and surrounding areas can get free advice about family law through a monthly visiting service from Victoria Legal Aid (Bendigo).
• Forum to focus on improving community legal and advocacy services
  Date: 09 Apr 2010
  A special forum for community organisations has been established to look at the community’s access to and knowledge of legal and advocacy services available within the Murray Mallee region.
• ARC List kicks off this month for long-term benefits
  Date: 06 Apr 2010
  Kicking off this month, the landmark Assessment and Referral Court (ARC) List will reap long-term benefits, Victoria Legal Aid Director of Criminal law services Saul Holt said.
• Legal aid rescue package needed to help regional Victoria
  Date: 30 Mar 2010
  A report recently released by PricewaterhouseCoopers shows that the legal aid system is still struggling to recover from a significant decline in Commonwealth funding introduced over a decade ago.
• Report confirms economic value of legal aid to community
  Date: 30 Mar 2010
  Government spending on legal aid is more than repaid through economic benefits and savings to the justice system, according to a recently released report by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
• Access to specialist law assistance for Swan Hill residents
  Date: 17 Mar 2010
  Swan Hill and district residents will now be able to access family law specific advice through an extended service offered by Victoria Legal Aid (Bendigo).
• Fewer families assisted
  Date: 15 Oct 2009
  Victoria Legal Aid’s annual report tabled in Parliament today reveals that fewer families are being assisted to resolve children’s issues while overall demand for services remains strong.
• Victoria Legal Aid helps people keep informed about debt
  Date: 23 Jun 2009
  As the end of the financial year approaches, Victoria Legal Aid Managing Director Bevan Warner is encouraging people with financial problems to act early, get on top of their situation and take advantage of Legal Aid’s free legal information services.
• Co-operative federalism required for legal aid
  Date: 26 Nov 2008
  Victoria Legal Aid Managing Director Bevan Warner urged private practitioners protesting tomorrow to act responsibly and not place their clients at risk.

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