More support for flood affected communities
Flood-affected communities across NSW will be able to obtain free legal advice as a result of a $3 million funding investment to aid ongoing relief and recovery.
Commonwealth Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the Commonwealth funding would ensure people recovering from the NSW floods can access critical legal support and advice.
“This significant investment will help to deliver free, practical legal advice in areas such as tenancy, insurance, debts, employment and family violence,” Mr Dreyfus said.
NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman said the floods have taken an immense toll on communities in Northern NSW and the Hawkesbury region.
“This funding injection, allocated by the NSW Government, will help people in these flood impacted communities receive the legal support they need to get their lives back on track,” Mr Speakman said.
Minister for Emergency Services and Resilience and Minister for Flood Recovery Steph Cooke said the funding will be divided between Legal Aid NSW’s Disaster Response Legal Service, the Tenants’ Union of NSW, Western Sydney Community Legal Centre and Justice Connect.
“A total of 60 local government areas across NSW were impacted by flooding in February and March and it’s important we have the right support in place to help flood-affected residents access the legal advice and assistance they need,” Ms Cooke said.
Federal Minister for Emergency Management Murray Watt said flood impacted areas are still recovering.
“Navigating complex paperwork after a natural disaster can be very overwhelming, and this support will ensure communities have access to much-needed resources,” Senator Watt said.
This funding is in addition to a $680,000 funding boost provided to the Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre (NRCLC) in April 2022, to help the NRCLC deliver critical legal services to people recovering from the flood crisis.
Further information about the services being provided by the legal assistance sector in response to the floods can be found at www.disasterhelp.legalaid.nsw.gov.au or at https://www.clcnsw.org.au/legal-help-flood-affected-communities-nsw-2022.
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