June 16, 2023 | Katie Wand
On 14 June, Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes joined Victorian Community Legal Centres for our fifth Roundtable event. The session was an opportunity for the sector to share insights about how current laws, policies and systems are operating in communities, and engage in dialogue with the Attorney-General to achieve best outcomes for Victorians.
The theme of the session was opportunities for civil law reform.
The Infringements Working Group presented on binding enforcement review for people presenting with special circumstances; fine recipients working off court fines by partaking in therapeutic activities; and how to respond to extenuating circumstances for excessive speeding offences incurred in the context of family violence.
The Tenancy Coordination Group shared experiences from the Residential Tenancies List in VCAT, and looked at opportunities for family violence training for VCAT members.
Four Community Legal Centres with experience of integrating legal services in mental health settings shared successful examples of partnerships to achieve better legal and wellbeing outcomes for people experiencing mental ill health and psychological distress.
We thank Attorney-General Symes for her time and consideration, thoughtful questions and engagement on the issues. We look forward to progressing the dialogue around these important civil law issues in the future.
