The economic effects of COVID-19 have already been devastating, but the worst may be yet to come as aftershocks ripple through the country in the coming months. This will likely be particularly devastating for people who need support from the social security system.

Nassim Arrage (CEO, Community Legal Centres Australia) writes on the importance of supporting people demonstrating as part of the Black Lives Matter and Stop Deaths in Custody movements, and the role of Legal Observers at demonstrations.

 COVID-19 is impacting all of us around the world, it knows no borders. Despite the recent easing of lockdown measures, some of the most marginalised people in our community will be feeling the impacts of the pandemic for many months, perhaps years to come.

 

 Illawarra Legal Centre (ILC) has started working with a seconded paralegal from Herbert Smith Freehills (HSF).

Simon Crase at Hume Riverina Community Legal Service writes on Hume Riverina Community Legal Service's efforts to maintain staff cohesiveness and morale through being thrust into a new WFH world of self-isolation.

To ensure the potential social harms caused by COVID-19 are minimised to the greatest extent possible, Community Legal Centres NSW has worked with expert specialist community legal centres within our membership to develop a set of critical social policy interventions.

Climate change impacts most severely the very people and communities that community legal centres make it our core business to represent: people who experience social and economic discrimination and disadvantage. Community Legal Centres NSW sees responding to climate change as a critical step in the pursuit of justice for all. We need to be a voice in the national conversation about climate change, and the need for an urgent, adequate and just response.

Alastair Lawrie, Senior Policy Officer at PIAC, writes on the public forum held by PIAC and Gilbert + Tobin to discuss the Religious Discrimination Bill.

See how Financial Rights Legal Centre has been helping people in affected communities with their disaster insurance claims.

 Justine O'Reilly, Principal Solicitor of Shoalcoast Community Legal Centre, writes about her experience of visiting bushfire-ravaged communities on the South Coast in January 2020.

Article provided by Emily Phipps, Arts Law Centre

The North & North West Community Legal Service is currently working on opening a second office located in Moree NSW, which they aim to have operational from early January 2020. Article provided by Terri King and Sandy Watt, North & North West Community Legal Service.

Welcome to new CLCNSW Chairperson, Arlia Fleming.

 The Northern Rivers CLC led a CLSD project where young people made films about legal issues relevant to them.  Story provided by Katja McPherson, Solicitor, Northern Rivers CLC.