PLEASE EMAIL TO YOUR FRIENDS AND NETWORKS COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTRES UNDER THREAT! As you read this the Howard Government is considering a report that could result in the wholesale destruction of community legal centres in Victoria. For example, one of the options is to merge Fitzroy Legal Service with North Melbourne Legal Service to form a big, impersonal regional centre and cut the existing funding by more than half! THIS WOULD MEAN: fewer lawyers = less service loss of dedicated volunteers = less service loss of links with local community silencing our voice on law reform The Howard Government has previously indicated that it needs to shift funding from existing Centres to set up new Centres. This is just shifting deck chairs on the Titanic! More people than ever before need the help of Community Legal Centres but the Government is not willing to put in more money. They just want to shift money around so they look like they are doing something! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! Stop Community Legal Centres being destroyed! WHAT YOU CAN DO: Come to a P U B L I C M E E T I N G - Thursday 12 JULY - 6PM Yarra Community Youth Centre 156 NAPIER ST, FITZROY WRITE TO POLITICIANS...SIGN THE PETITION...all the tools you need to take action are our campaign kit? To get a Campaign Kit Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] drop into the Fitzroy Legal Service at 124 Johnston St, Fitzroy OR ring our campaign hotline (03) 9411 1308 Find out more about Community Legal Centres (see below) SOME FACTS ABOUT COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTRES Community Legal Centres (CLCs) are a vital part of our justice system. The Fitzroy Legal Service was the first community legal centre in Australia. For over 28 years CLCs have been independent of government and in this time they have fearlessly advocated on behalf of the poorest people in our community. Most people we help are on Centrelink payments and live below the poverty line. Many have added disadvantages of illiteracy, English as a second language or disabilities. In the last year alone 31 CLCs in Victoria assisted over 50,000 individuals and all this was done with only $6.2 million in government funding. That is only $1.31 for each Victorian! Compare this to $1611 per Victorian spent on health services (96/97) or the $402 per Victorian spent on "Public order". CLCs are such good value because they have a lot of dedicated volunteers. Fitzroy Legal Service has over 100 legal and non-legal volunteers. Our 5 night a week free night service is staffed totally by volunteers! The value of the volunteer contribution to CLCs in Victoria is about $8 million more than the Government puts in! CLCs are community based and managed and accountable to the communities they serve. You can become a member of Fitzroy Legal Service and attend meetings to have input about how the Service runs. CLCs value their independence from Victoria Legal Aid and Government. They are separate from Victoria Legal Aid (the government provider of legal assistance). But cuts to Victoria Legal Aid by the Howard Government have meant that more and more people are having to rely upon Community Legal Centres (CLCs) for help. The Howard Government cut Legal Aid by $120M a third of the legal aid budget over a three year period (1996-2000). CLCs have been in the front line of dealing with the inhumane damage created by these savage cuts. Most CLCs are forced to operate with 3 or less staff. Staff don't get paid very much but work hard because they are dedicated to providing justice for all not just the rich! Many centres have old computers and other equipment that regularly breaks down! Despite chronic underfunding CLCs provide top quality service. We fight injustice and get great results for our clients and our community. We are committed not only to looking at individual problems but also to campaigning to change the law and legal systems so it is fairer for everyone! -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Archived at http://www.cat.org.au/lists/leftlink/ Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink