Law Reform

Law Reform & CLCs

CLCs advocate for reform to unjust laws, policies, and practices. CLCs also advocate for a fairer legal system for disadvantaged people in NSW. Through working with clients, CLCs are well placed to identify laws and policies that are unjust, especially those that affect socially and economically disadvantaged groups

CLCs also provide community education on human rights topics, and promote respect for human rights.

CLCs engage in law reform activities and the promotion of human rights as individual centres, and also collectively (through CLCNSW).

Current projects

•  Police accountability
•  Human rights protection
•  Access to court assistance with Apprehended Domestic Violence Orders

Recent Projects and Submissions

• Scrutiny of Bills - Submission
• National Security Discussion Paper - Submissions
• National Human Rights Consultation - CLCNSW and CLCs around the state enthusiastically participated and encouraged participation.
• CEDAW Shadow Report - CLCs, and in particular Womens Legal Service, were involved in preparation of this report.
• Freedom of Religion and Belief in the 21st Century (Australian Human Rights Commission Inquiry) – joint submission from a number of CLCs on behalf of CLCNSW.
• NSW Strategic Framework on Domestic Violence – submissions and participation in subsequent consultations.
• Protest, Protection, Policing: The expansion of police powers and the impact on human rights in NSW. The policing of APEC 2007 as a case study. Written by Liz Snell for the Combined Community Legal Centres’ Group (NSW) and Kingsford Legal Centre
• The law reform efforts of individual CLCs can be found in their annual reports.

Tools for Law Reform

Inquiries Table

The inquiries table is produced by CLCNSW and can be used to identify:

• current parliamentary, government and other inquiries at the federal and NSW levels.
• upcoming human rights events

Strategies

A range of measures can be used to work towards law reform, such as:

• collaboration with other CLCs, other NSW organizations / other states / academics
• consultation – with CLCs, CLC clients, key stakeholders
• community legal education
• advocacy through meetings, letters, fact sheets, flyers, articles, newsletters, website information etc
• lobbying – e.g. parliamentarians
• public campaigns, incl. media (traditional and new)
• representation
• submissions to government, law reform bodies and other organizationsadvice on bills
• policy review
• policy development
• information collection, collation and provision / research / statistical collection / analysis
• public conferences and forums.

Links to other organisations

• Australian Parliament
• NSW Parliament
• Australian Government Directory
• Australian Law Reform Commission
• NSW Law Reform Commission
• Australian Human Rights Commission
• Law and Justice Foundation
• UNSW’s Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law
• Human Rights Law Resource Centre
• The Australian Human Rights Group website
• Uniting Justice Australia
• Amnesty International Australia
• United Nations Commission on Human Rights
• NSW Charter Group
• Getup! campaigns