RLC in the Media: A bitter pill: why the future of festivals relies on pill testing

Summer means many things in Australia. Interminable cricket coverage, heat that makes you sweat in crevices you never knew you had and, of course, festival season.

According to a report by Live Performance Australia, both contemporary music festival revenue and attendance grew by over 26 per cent in the 2016-2017 period.

Police Powers PLT Placement (Volunteer)

Position Description

Responsibilities include client intake, file review, general administration, research, legal drafting, interviewing clients, and follow up on client matters, under supervision of the Police Powers solicitor.

This role will include a strong focus on supporting the work of our ‘Safe and Sound’ campaign to reform strip search law in NSW. Skill and interest in social media platforms and campaign strategies would be beneficial.

The position would also be required to assist with Monday night advice clinic which operates from 6pm -10pm.

RLC eBulletin: December 2019 - Our year in review

Our year at a glance...

Help us achieve more in 2020

As the festive season approaches, we would like to thank everyone who has helped us maintain support to communities in need this year.

Our end-of-year giving campaign focuses on some of our year's key initiatives to support people in crisis. 

  • Thanks to the support of generous donations, RLC assisted 2,474 people in crisis to navigate the legal system, providing 5,915 occasions of advice and 1,073 instances of information and referals.
  • We expanded our Health Justice Parnership (HJP) to new locations and employed an Aboriginal solicitor and Aboriginal access worker. Our HJP provides access to legal help for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other patients in the healthcare system who would otherwise not access legal support. 
  • Our statewide Police Powers practice launched our Safe and Sound Campaign in response to a disturbing rise in complaints about traumatic and potentially unlawful police strip searches. 
  • Our International Student Legal Service NSW launched My Legal Mate, a mobile app to provide interactive legal advice in seven languages to international students at universities across NSW. 
  • Our Employment Law practice gave assistance on systemic issues such as wage theft and unfair terminations and submitted a joint report #MeToo: Legal Responses to Sexual Harrassment at Work to the National Inquiry into Sexual Harrassment in Australian workplaces.
  • Our Tenancy service supported over 3,000 tenants, particularly those in public and community housing and played a leading role in collaborations with other community legal centres on submission to the Residential Tenancies Act five-year review. 
  • Our Credit and Debt practice provided advice and advocacy in areas such as consumer credit, banking insurance, debt recovery and consumer complaints. 
  • In response to an identified area of unment legal need, we established a statewide Financial Abuse Legal Service, which will provide life-saving assitance to survivors of financial abuse in intimate partner relationships. 

Read the full eBulletin here

Download RLC's 2018-19 Annual Report

It has been an exciting year for RLC, one which has seen us launch new services and law reform initiatives, as well as securing resources to help more people across NSW.

Factsheet no.6: Drug Detection Dogs

An indication given by a sniffer dog does not on its own provide police with the power to conduct a search.

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This factsheet provides information about NSW Police Drug Detection Dog Standard Operating Procedures. 

RLC Annual Report 2018–19


Our Annual Report showcases our impact and areas of focus across the 2018–19 financial year. The reports from our team are accompanied by client stories and feedback, further illuminating the purpose of our work.

Thank you for being part of our ongoing journey, helping people in crisis through legal support.

 

Download

It’s been an exciting year for Redfern Legal Centre, with dynamic new partnerships, services, and law reform initiatives extending our connections and expanding our reach.

RLC in the Media: Is It Legal To Skip Work Due To Bushfire Smoke?

Sharmilla Bargon, head of the employment practice at Redfern Legal Centre, speaks to Lifehacker about what the law says you can do if the poor air quality's got you feeling under the weather. 

“If an employee is sick then they are sick, it doesn't matter the reason," Sharmilla says.

According to NSW's Work Health and Safety Act 2011 No 10, an employer must supply "the provision and maintenance of a work environment without risks to health and safety" where practical.

Relief for RLC clients through changes to the Fines Act NSW

Redfern Legal Centre (RLC) informed submissions by Community Legal Centres NSW (CLCNSW) and met with NSW Minister for Customer Service, Victor Dominello, to ensure the concerns and needs of its clients were voiced and considered by Parliament before the initial Bill was passed.

Our year in review: support RLC's end-of-year giving campaign

Here are ten things we achieved together in 2018-19 to increase access to justice for people in need. 

Factsheet No. 5: Quick tips

A sniffer dog indication by itself is not reasonable grounds to conduct a search, it only gives police a reason to question you.

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This factsheet provides some information about strip search law in NSW and what you are required to do if police ask you to undergo a strip search. 

Factsheet No. 4: Strip searches and your rights

A strip search must only be conducted by NSW police when an officer suspects on reasonable groundsa strip search is necessary for the purposes of the search and that the seriousness and urgency of the circumstances make the strip search necessary

This factsheet answer questions including:

  • When can police conduct a strip search?
  • What constitutes reasonable suspicion?
  • What must police tell you before conducting a strip search?
  • How should police conduct a strip search?
  • What clothing can police ask you to take off?
  • Can I ask a friend to be present during the search?
  • Can police touch my body?

Download

This factsheet answers some frequently asked questions about strip searches and your rights.