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Australian legal profession reacts to bushfire crisis
As the bushfires worsen, more legal services have joined the chorus of legal firms and organisations offering support and free legal advice to those affected.
Naomi Neilson
As the crisis hit its peak, the Law Council, Law Society of NSW and NSW Bar pointed victims to free legal advice services. New president of the Law Council, Pauline Wright, offered her “sympathy and best wishes” just as more state bodies come forward.
CEO Brendan Thomas said of the law helpline: “Individuals, households and business people can call a single hotline for legal advice from Disaster Response Legal Service, from which they will be referred to an appropriate lawyer.”
This announcement builds on the work of Legal Aid’s disaster response service which has been operating since 2010 across NSW. This service has already provided legal assistance throughout the bushfire season for people navigating insurance claims, any tenancy issues, financial hardship, social security entitlements and employment issue.
For those affected in Victoria, legal bodies have partnered to provide bushfire victims with Disaster Legal Help Victoria. It is a collaboration between Victoria Legal Aid, the Federation of Community Legal Centres, the Law Institute of Victoria, the Victorian Bar and Justice Connect, and was originally formed in 2009 for Black Saturday bushfires.
Acting executive director of civil justice, access and equity at Victoria Legal Aid, Joel Townsend, said legal problems commonly include rejection of insurance claims, debt, disputes with landlords and cost of dealing with the aftermath.
“Recovering from a bushfire can be an incredibly emotional and stress time and on top of this, legal problems can surface and escalate quickly,” Mr Townsend said.
“The impact of these fires has been devastating and we understand it will take time for people to work through the aftermath, with many fires still active and bushfire season continuing. Disaster Legal Help Victoria will be available over the coming weeks and months to help people get back on their feet.”
The ACT Law Society has also joined the chorus of law societies and organisations in offering help and support during the devastating bushfires.
President of the ACT Law Society Chris Donohue said: “The ACT is not currently under threat, thanks in large part to the work being done in NSW.
“Nevertheless, we are living under a thick pall of smoke, and we are now home to an increasing number of evacuees from fire-affected areas.”
Although the ACT is not currently in a state of emergency, it is standing ready to offer legal support “as and when it is needed”. It has convened meetings of Canberra’s legal service providers to discuss what it can do to support residents and evacuees.
“We will be calling for members to put their names on a contingency list as volunteers willing to provide legal assistance to those affected by the bushfires. We encourage our members to get in touch if they, or their clients, require additional support.”
The Law Council of Australia is coordinating a list of resources for bushfire victims in need of legal assistance.
Naomi Neilson
Naomi Neilson is a senior journalist with a focus on court reporting for Lawyers Weekly.
You can email Naomi at:
