Stop cuts to this vital service for women affected by family violence

VICTORY! After months of campaigning by Fair Agenda members, in partnership with Community legal workers, domestic violence groups, survivor advocates and others - the Turnbull Government announced on the 24th April a full reversal to the three years of scheduled cuts to Community Legal Centres! 

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Community Legal Centres are a critical, potentially life-saving, service for many women trying to escape an abusive partner. 

In order to escape, many women will first need to know how they can access shared funds or property, if they'll be able to keep their children safe, and if they'll be able to untangle themselves from any financial abuse and debt that might have been used to try and trap them.

Right now, family violence and family law are the two biggest areas of work for Community Legal Centres in Australia. And inadequate funding is already limiting their work so much that Centres are forced to turn away 160,000 people a year - many of them women trying to escape violence. 

Now the Government is about to make things even worse. The Turnbull Government has just confirmed that from 1 July 2017 it plans to cut a whopping 30% of Community Legal Centres' funding. These cuts will cripple Community Legal Centres, and leave thousands more women each year without this essential lifeline they need to escape family violence.

Will you sign and share the petition against the cuts, and help stop this cruel cut to this vital community service? 

*If you or someone you know is experiencing family violence, you can call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 for 24/7 support. If you are in immediate danger, call 000.

Find out more (click to view)

Australia is in the midst of a family violence crisis. The statistics are stark. 81,900 women say they have wanted to escape their current violent partner, but never have. Further 1 in 12 women have indicated they have been forced to return to their abusive partner because they had nowhere else to go. At the same time, the funding for services women need to live free from danger are being cut by governments; leaving thousands of women in danger. 

Community Legal Centres:

  • name the top two areas of work as family law and family-violence related matters
  • are currently forced to turn away 160,000 people annually because of under-funding (including but not limited to those affected by family violence)
  • are facing cuts of $12.1 million (30% of funding) due to take effect from 1 July 2017
  • Actually need an *extra* $14.4 million to meet existing demand 

Can you join the campaign to reverse these cuts, and fully fund, Community Legal Centres?

-References-

"This budget is devastating and dangerous for women experiencing family violence", Mamamia, 4 May 2016. 
"Thousands of women in danger" without billions more in funding to tackle domestic violence, advocates say, BuzzFeed News, 19 May 2016.

Help us get to 7,500 signatures

5,493 SIGNATURES

Dear Malcolm Turnbull and the Federal Government,

We are calling on you to reverse your devastating funding cuts to Community Legal Centres, and commit to fully funding them instead, so that no more women in Australia are left unable to escape from family violence.

Signed,

Fair Agenda will email petition signers from time to time with important updates

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Latest activity

Tayla , 2830  /  signed 2016-10-20 11:08:33 +1100
Andrew , 2324  /  signed 2016-10-20 11:08:17 +1100
"Community Legal Centres provide free legal advice to everyone, thus relieving the burden on places like Legal Aid as well as quickly dealing with a large number of matters that might otherwise clog up the system. Cutting funding to these vital centres is madness of the highest magnitude, and something the hardworking people of these centres do not deserve."
Chrissie , 2016  /  signed 2016-10-20 10:58:58 +1100
Lisa  /  signed 2016-10-20 10:58:48 +1100
Rebecca , 2204  /  signed 2016-10-20 10:57:41 +1100
"Cutting funding to Community Legal Centres is beyond a joke. This directly impacts the members of our community who are already at a disadvantage and takes away their ability to be empowered and seek the legal assistance they need. With the current national emergency of Domestic Violence (of which you are not taking action on either, the funding you’ve pledged doesn’t even remotely help front line services) the women seeking help from both DVCAS services as well as assistance with family law and property issues leaves the victims without help they cannot afford otherwise. This is a complex issue that is in dire need of funding and affects such a broad community that I simply don’t understand why this is not an important issue for the government. Do you want to contribute to the current crisis of Domestic Violence? This is on you and the government. Give these people in crisis the support they need."
Joanne , 2560  /  signed 2016-10-20 10:47:21 +1100
"to cut vital funding is to further disadvantage community member who are already experiencing difficult times most in crisis. The governments aim should be equality and empowerment to all not just to those financial. Lets not forget all members of our community regardless of Status"
Raki , 2141  /  signed 2016-10-20 10:44:11 +1100
Tanya , 2560  /  signed 2016-10-20 10:30:19 +1100
"Tanya Whitehouse"
Sesilia , 2560  /  signed 2016-10-20 10:27:34 +1100
Rani , 2000  /  signed 2016-10-20 10:21:36 +1100
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