Domestic violence vow

LNP to help legal centre cope with ‘huge’ demand

THE LNP is promising to inject $600,000 into an “essential” volunteer legal centre for domestic violence victims that has survived on sausage sizzles.

LNP Leader Deb Frecklington said the funding for the Robina-based My Community Legal would extend the legal support for vulnerable people.

In a series of 2016 reports on the Coast’s domestic violence murders, the Bulletin detailed how the service was swamped by calls for help and surviving on money raised at sausage sizzles.

Ms Frecklington told the Bulletin: “The volunteers at My Community Legal do an incredible job supporting domestic violence victims who have no one else to turn to.

“However, the service does not receive any funding from the State Government. If the LNP wins the next state election, this valuable legal service will receive public funding so that it can expand and improve the support it offers to the southern Gold Coast.

My Community Legal president Ross Lee said the

LNP DV plan provided legal certainty and the service would apply the resources to where they were most needed.

“My Community Legal sincerely thanks the LNP, led by Deb Frecklington and Shadow Minister Ros Bates for their commitment of $600,000 funding over four years if LNP wins the next state election. LNP Parliamentarians are long-time supporters,” he said.

“Demand for our services is huge and growing. This injection will pay for a desperately needed full-time principal lawyer, co-ordinator, support staff and office costs.

“Our volunteers have already changed over 7000 lives since our inception in 2014. The unmet need for legal assistance is vast on the Gold Coast and we can leverage so many more pro bono lawyers with a little help from the State Government.

“Everyone knows someone affected by domestic violence. And those people are not only adults but also vulnerable children who are too often put in harm’s way. The human and economic costs are enduring. “

Mudgeeraba MP Ros Bates, the Opposition spokeswoman for women, is a long-standing supporter of the centre, which has relied on the pro bono work of law students from Bond and Griffith universities.

“Sadly, there is huge local demand for this service,” she said. “DV victims are usually desperate and frightened. They need expert advice and help to ensure they and their children can be safe.”

Ms Bates recently vast and asked

Attorney General Porter to intervene.

“The clinic’s running costs constrict their consultation time,” she wrote to Mr Porter.

“They are only able to open one night per week with a queue for legal advice stretching right down the street. A lack of other services means people come from all over the Coast to access the centre.”

Mr Porter said the Commonwealth gave Queensland $443 million over five years as part of its national legal partnership. “However, I am unable to intervene in state decisions about the allocation of legal assistance funding,” he said.

Christian