Read the Federation's Annual Report 2020-21

Urgent Bail Reform Needed to Prevent More Victorian Women Ending Up Behind Bars

Smart Justice for Women, a coalition of leading legal, academic and community services calls for urgent bail reform and investment in wraparound services to reduce the unacceptable number of women behind bars.

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Community Legal Sector Calls for a Smarter Approach to Justice

The Federation of Community Legal Centres Victoria (the Federation) has joined the chorus of legal centres, social services and human rights organisations making a united call for a ”smarter criminal justice system” - one that identifies the social determinates of crime and reinvests in community-led solutions.

Speaking at the Inquiry into Victoria’s Criminal Justice System, Federation CEO Louisa Gibbs called for a “radical rethink” of the way Victoria approaches criminal justice.

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CLCs on the frontline: Domestic and Family Violence Recent Initiatives

Victoria continues to face a crisis of domestic and family violence across the state.

In 2017, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that one in six Australian women and one in sixteen Australian men experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or previous cohabiting partner since the age of 15.

In Victoria, these numbers escalated significantly over the course of 2020, in close correlation with the conditions of lockdown and isolation throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

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