Stuart Ayres MP, Member for Penrith was joined by Gabrielle Upton, Attorney-General during a visit to Legal Aid, Penrith.
Penrith Legal Aid has 34 staff that provides services to clients in all areas of the law. The office provides legal services in Penrith, Blue Mountains, Mount Druitt, and parts of Hawkesbury and Wollondilly.
“Legal Aid do so much more than many people realise – they assist in most areas of criminal, family and civil law, family dispute resolution, representation in NCAT and a number of specialist services,” said Stuart Ayres.
“They work with local organisations and regularly attend community and neighbourhood centres, court houses or libraries around the state to provide free advice and assistance and community education and information on important legal issues,” said Stuart Ayres.
Ms Upton said Legal Aid NSW can help with legal issues that impact on people’s everyday lives such as debts, unpaid fines, employment, tenancy, discrimination, consumer issues and Centrelink disputes.
“Targeted, timely legal assistance can make all the difference. It can help stop people from spiraling into vicious cycles of disadvantage and help them get access to justice,” Ms Upton said.
Legal Aid NSW also assists people experiencing domestic and family violence through management of the Women’s Domestic Violence Program, which includes the Western Sydney Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service (WDVCAS).
The Western Sydney WDVCAS supports women and children attending the Penrith Local Court and Mt Druitt Local Courts on domestic violence matters. WDVCAS also employs a Specialist Aboriginal and a Specialist Multicultural worker.
If you or someone you know needs help, you can call LawAccess NSW on 1300 888 529 or go to http://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/ to get started.
