News and Events

Redfern Legal Centre stands with a coalition of Aboriginal and legal organisations that say a secret proposal to tighten NSW bail laws for children would make NSW regional communities more dangerous. Multiple government sources have indicated off the record that a proposal to introduce punitive law and order measures – including changes to bail laws that will result in more children going to jail – may be considered as early as this week.

The NSW government wants universities to take more responsibility for housing international students as Sydney braces for tens of thousands of arrivals for the return of face-to-face learning.

Universities and Australia’s biggest student housing provider are using a loophole in legislation to avoid tough laws designed to protect renters.

Police have been questioned about when they are able to use force after a 14-year-old Indigenous boy was hospitalised following his arrest.

Sean Stimson, an international student solicitor at Redfern Legal Centre, described June 30 as D-Day, when remote study from abroad would no longer be permitted at the same time the Department of Foreign Affairs restricts international students to 48 hours of work per fortnight.

Australia is welcoming back international students in much greater numbers this year. Some predict new enrolments in 2023 could even be higher than the pre-COVID record in 2019.

Momentum is gathering behind a campaign to demand universities cap rents and build residential cooperatives for international students.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore last night opened the doors to Sydney Town Hall for the first International Student Welcome since the start of the pandemic.

A coalition of community legal centres is seeking a key commitment from the government to provide effective visa protections for migrant workers.

Kieran Pender, a senior lawyer at the Human Rights Law Centre, and RLC employment law volunteer, was named Pro Bono/Community Lawyer of the Year at the 30 Under 30 Awards 2022