July 22, 2025 | Katie Wand
On 21 July, the Federation launched the Victorian community legal sector’s policy platform for 2025-30, Action for Justice: A Roadmap for Change at our first ever Law Reform Summit at the Queen Victoria Women’s Centre in Melbourne.
Over 100 representatives from CLCs across Victoria joined us for this day of sharing, connecting and deep knowledge building.
We kicked off with a fascinating discussion on advocacy and campaigns led by an impressive First Nations panel, followed by a retrospective workshop that encouraged attendees to reflect on their experiences of effective advocacy and law reform efforts, and how previous successes and challenges can be used to inform the way we campaign in the future.
After lunch, the policy platform was officially launched. The platform is the product of decades of frontline experience, research, advocacy and lived experience from our sector and the communities we serve. Every Victorian CLC contributed to the platform, which sets out a unified, ambitious, and deeply grounded vision for a fairer, more just society, and a bold roadmap for change.
We are so grateful for the commitment, insights and deep care for justice that the people in the community legal sector show every day, in their work, advocacy, and in the proposals put forward in this policy platform.
The policy platform contains more than 60 specific policy and law reform asks – across First Nations justice, housing, family violence, policing, disability justice, climate, employment, health, human rights, and more. It is a reflection of the everyday realities we see in our services – the systemic injustice, legal barriers, and the deep inequalities that our communities are forced to navigate. You can read it here.
After the launch, attendees heard from an incredible lineup of advocates and changemakers who’ve taken on broken systems, spoken truth to power, and mobilised communities to demand better in the ‘Kickass Advocacy and Campaigning: Tactical TED Talks’ session. Lastly, Federation staff led a workshop on futuring – a little known technique for pre-empting the future, and interrogating possible outcomes, to guide our actions today to ensure a better tomorrow.
Thank you to everyone who made the journey to Melbourne to attend the summit – for their unique insights and invaluable contributions to our sector and the community. The summit brought together a cross-section of CLC staff – including CEOs, principal lawyers, policy and advocacy experts, and more – and laid strong foundations for connection, coordinated advocacy and changemaking going forward.
