According to Eastern Community Legal Centre (ECLC), the top three legal problems experienced in the Yarra Ranges in 2021-2022 were Family Violence Intervention Orders, Parenting Arrangements and Family Violence.
ECLC CEO Michael Smith commented that the Centre was not surprised by this data but believed that sharing this information was important for the community.
“We have been tracking these statistics for a while and sadly, it is not uncommon with the majority of calls for legal help at ECLC dominated by mostly family-violence related issues,” he said.
“These figures also include high demand for family violence-related assistance to Yarra Ranges residents at the Ringwood Court.”
ECLC is a multidisciplinary legal service that works to prevent problems, progress fair outcomes and support the wellbeing and resilience of communities and community members in Melbourne’s East.
This includes Boroondara, Knox, Manningham, Maroondah, Whitehorse and the Yarra Ranges. Within the Yarra Ranges, the Centre has been providing free legal advice for over 15 years and opened its Healesville-based team in 2014.
Besides the top three legal concerns, ECLC have also been providing free legal support for community members in the Yarra Ranges who were affected by the storms of 9 and 10 June 2021.
“ECLC is pleased to be able to assist the community who have been overwhelmed by these unprecedented storms,” Mr Smith said.
“The Centre has been an integral part of the storm’s response and have assisted over 80 residents with legal advice and navigating the legal processes. We know these problems are long-term and we remain available when legal help is needed.”
This recovery support includes physical and virtual recovery hubs, and implementing a legal help checklist, used widely by recovery partners.
ECLC continues to assist residents on a number of issues following the storms, including tree damage, insurance, rent payments, family violence, family law, consumer matters and Centrelink.
Besides these areas of law, community members in the Yarra Ranges can also access free legal advice for a variety of issues including elder abuse, victims of crime assistance, fines, car accidents, neighbourhood disputes, debt matters and criminal charges.
If you or someone you know requires free legal help with any of the above mentioned areas, please contact ECLC at 1300 32 52 00 or email eclc@eclc.org.au or visit the website eclc.org.au for more information. Free interpreters can also be organised if required.
The Intake Team will then go through a series of questions that will help them understand and connect you to the right lawyer or team to assist with your individual problem.
