annual report 2014-15 - women’s legal service (sa) legal service sa annual report... · annual...

Annual Report

2014-15

Empowering and Rebuilding Women’s Lives

for 20 Years

Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc.

151 Franklin Street

Adelaide SA 5000

Patron

The Hon. Dr Robyn Layton AO QC

Hours of Business

Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Phone: (08) 8231 8929

Free call: 1800 655 037

Fax: (08) 8221 5737

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.wls.org.au

Telephone Advice Line

Hours of Business:

Monday to Friday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

(excluding Wednesdays)

Phone: (08) 8221 5553

Free Call: 1800 555 850

Rural Women’s Outreach Program (RWOP)

Phone: (08) 8641 3366

Free call: 1800 555 850

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women’s

Program (IWOP)

Phone: (08) 8231 8929

Free Call: 1800 685 037

Who We AreWomen’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. is a

community legal centre focusing on meeting the legal needs of vulnerable women in

South Australia in a holistic and empowering manner. We are an independent, not-for-profit, politically unaligned

and secular community organisation based in South Australia.

Our VisionAchieving justice for women.

The Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. is funded by the Federal Attorney General’s Department and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Contents

Message from the Chairperson

Message from the Chief Executive Officer

The Year at a Glance

Family Violence

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women

Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Women

Rural, Regional and Remote

Early Intervention – Community Legal Education

Building Bridges Overseas

Collaborations and Partnerships

Volunteers

Management Board

20 Years of Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc.

Financial Summary

4

6

10

12

14

18

21

22

23

24

26

28

30

32

Women’s Legal Service4

Message from the Chairperson

Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. was founded from widespread community con-cerns about the lack of access to justice for women in South Australia in October 1995. Since then, we have been able to harness both volunteer contributions from a wide cross section of the community and ac-cess government funding to deliver a state-

ships established with aligned groups;• Our brand – name signifies excellence;

and• Our operations – that support client ser-

vice delivery will be efficient and cost ef-fective.

The work that has been achieved across all levels of the organisation has been tremen-dous and would not have been possible without the support and commitment of staff, volunteers and membership.I would like to extend my thanks to the each and every member of the Management Board. Each member brings a high level of commitment and expertise to their role. Also my sincerest thanks are extended to the dedicated team of staff and volunteers who often go beyond the call of duty in carrying out the vision of the organisation. This is despite all of the uncertainty with funding over the last 12 months. Finally thank you to everyone, individuals and organisations alike who have sup-ported the work of Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. Thank you for enabling us to have achieved the momentous goal of celebrat-ing 20 years of empowering women to re-build their lives.

“Over the last 12 months the Board has been examining and enhancing governance protocols within the organisation.”

wide service to the most vulnerable segments of our community. It has been a tre-mendous privi-lege to have been the Chairperson of Women’s Le-gal Service (SA) Inc. over a period

of sustained growth but at the same time grappling with an external environment that is rapidly changing. Over the last 12 months the Board has been examining and enhancing governance protocols within the organisation. The Board, staff and volun-teers have also finalized and commenced implementation of an ambitious five year strategic plan. The strategic plan is sup-ported by five strategic pillars:• Our services – activities at all levels

across the organization will be targeted to empowering women;

• Our people – are our most valuable as-set. They will be actively supported to achieve in their roles;

• Our alliances – collaborative relation-ships will be nurtured and new relation-

Lisa McClureChairperson

Annual Report 2014-155


Message from the Chief Executive Officer

I am so pleased to release our results for 2014-15:• Over 3,000 women assisted with legal

advice, information and secure referrals;• 127 community legal education sessions

provided to women and service providers to increase knowledge and awareness about laws;

• 625 women assisted with intervention or-ders; and

• 12 regional centres and surrounding re-gions provided with access to face to face solicitor appointments and commu-nity legal education.

We truly provided a statewide service that was accessible to a diverse range of wom-en across South Australia. The extensive rural, regional and remote outreach under-taken by Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. would not have been possible without the support of the many local agencies and organisations. These agencies and organ-isations also supported us in being able to provide a holistic response to the legal and social needs of women by being conduits for the provision of housing assistance, counselling and other crucial support ser-vices.In addition the contributions of our volun-teers, who generously donated 5928 hours to the work of Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. The contributions of volunteers has been invaluable in allowing us to provide a responsible and timely service to women. We also would like to thank the pro bono legal practitioners and barristers who have assisted the organisation over the last 12

months. Over the next year we will be seeking to build on the work that we have done over the last 12 months. Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. will be undergoing a tremendous period of rapid change and we hope that these changes will ensure that the organ-isation will be here for the next 20 years,

Zita Ngor Chief Executive Officer

“The extensive rural, regional and remote outreach undertaken by Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. would not have been possible without the support of the many local agencies and organisations.”

working to achieve the empowerment and active participation of all women in society. Finally thank you to everyone who has sup-ported the work of the Women’s Legal Ser-vice (SA) Inc. over the past 20 years.


If I don’t understand things I panic, Women’s Legal Service SA Inc. (WLSSA) explained things to me so that I could un-derstand what was going on. I have never been divorced be-fore, I have never had any legal issues, I’ve never even had a parking ticket and this whole process was terrifying. It was good to be informed of the pro-cess and I could ask questions and the correct answers would be provided by WLSSA. My sister-in-law Catherine said to me she was very impressed with the service, you spoke to us

in plain language and thought that you were someone I can understand and felt comforta-ble with.After my son Byron had some dealings with you and you had sent him some documents he requested, he even said to me that it was nice to see that I was dealing with people who made me feel like they were interest-ed, you weren’t intimidating or dismissive. Byron said after meeting you and speaking with WLSSA he understood why I felt so comfortable coming here. I have now been able to connect

with other services, who I am happy to say have assisted me in finding a new home in an area I have always wanted to live in! If it was not for WLSSA I would still be in panic. I would not be in the position I am in now. I now know that there is help available out there for people in my po-sition where as before I did not know that. I now feel I can get on with my life.

Client Testimonial

Sarah is from a rural, regional and

remote area of South Australia.


My husband was abusive to me and I was living with him. My husband is older and unwell and I am his carer. I am a for-eigner and have no family and few friends here. I had nowhere to go and did not know what to do as I was scared my husband was going to kick me out of the house because he had threat-ened me with doing so in the past.I was recommended by my neighbour to Women’s Legal Service SA Inc. (WLSSA). My neighbour’s husband helped me find the number for a free

advice service which was WLS-SA. The solicitor gave me advice on what to do and advised me on placing a caveat on my home to protect my interests and to find somewhere safe to live. This is because I live in a house that is in my husband’s name only. I found that I had someone to talk to about my problems which also gave me direction. The solicitor then assisted me in placing the caveat and ad-vised me to find alternate and safe living.I will definitely recommend

WLSSA. It is a great service that helped me and can help others with their legal problems. I am very happy with the service and the results. I got advice and I know it was the right thing to do. I am very happy with the service and advice the solicitor provided me, she was efficient, compassionate and kind. I don’t have the money to fight legally with my husband and have no one around me as sup-port or no one to talk to. I need-ed someone to give me a head start, WLSSA helped me to get the start I needed.

Client Testimonial

Penny is a family violence survivor.

of clients have dependentchildren at home

of clients have an income of less than $25,000

AccessExplanation to clientResponsivenessTreatment of clientUsefulness of assistance

Children matters (family law)Matrimonial propertyDomestic and family violence including Intervention OrdersDe facto propertyChild supportChild protectionTenancy

380cases opened

178cases closed

3,059advices

Income for 2014-15

$931,032.79

127community legal education sessions accross the state

Toplegal

problemtypes

50%of clients were victimsof family violence

16% 14%of clients were at risk of being homeless

of clientshave a disability

62% 60%100%

Clientsatisfaction


The Year at a Glance

of clients have dependentchildren at home

of clients have an income of less than $25,000

AccessExplanation to clientResponsivenessTreatment of clientUsefulness of assistance

Children matters (family law)Matrimonial propertyDomestic and family violence including Intervention OrdersDe facto propertyChild supportChild protectionTenancy

380cases opened

178cases closed

3,059advices

Income for 2014-15

$931,032.79

127community legal education sessions accross the state

Toplegal

problemtypes

50%of clients were victimsof family violence

16% 14%of clients were at risk of being homeless

of clientshave a disability

62% 60%100%

Clientsatisfaction



Family Violence


I found out about Women’s Le-gal Service SA Inc. (WLSSA) from a friend. At the time that I first approached the service I was afraid for the safety of both my children and myself. The children and I had been living with domestic violence for years. WLSSA answered all my phone calls and provided me with advice regarding ne-gotiating an intervention order for both my children and me. With their support, I managed to have both my children and I placed on the intervention order. This was difficult to do because

the police wanted to remove the children’s name from the Inter-vention Order but I persisted with the support of WLSSA.I needed the intervention order to include the children because my ex-husband had threatened to kill them and he told me ex-actly how he was going to do it. I was more scared for my children than I was for myself, because I truly believe that he would kill them if he became angry enough. I had tried for so long to keep my ex-husband happy but nothing worked. Now I just wanted to keep the children

safe but at the same time allow them to see their dad. I didn’t want to ever stop him from see-ing the children but they had to be safe and he needed to treat them well. Without WLSSA I would not have been able to speak for myself and for my children. The lawyer at Women’s Legal Ser-vice made me feel comforta-ble and trust in myself. Before I came here, always felt that I was being mean because I wanted to keep my children safe. I want-ed the violence and fear to stop.

Family Violence Testimonial

Megan is a family violence survivor.


Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women

Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. receives funding of $117,390 to deliver a state-wide service to Aboriginal women. With the funding that we receive we deliver an ex-tensive range of legal and support services to Aboriginal women. Aboriginal women are provided not only with legal assistance and representation but we also undertake advocacy work in regards to a wide range of matters including housing and access to services such as counselling.Highlights• 229 advices and assistance were provid-

ed in relation to family law matters involv-ing children;

• Assistance with 70 intervention order applications, which increase safety and protection for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in situations of family vi-olence;

• Assistance with 16 victims of crime com-pensation application for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women who have been victims of severe incidents of family violence and who suffer ongoing physical and psychological impacts as a result;

• 7 Indigenous women assisted in relation to tenancy issues ranging from hous-ing debts that prevent them from being able to access public housing to access accommodation as a result of family vi-olence. Securing tenancy contributes greatly to the wellbeing of women and vulnerable children and prevents home-lessness; and

• 11 Indigenous women were assisted with employment issues which enabled

them to be able to continue to access entitlements that they were owed. In one case we successfully pursued an unfair dismissal case which was settled in our clients’ favour. This contributed greatly to our clients’ sense of fairness and allowed her to move on and secure further em-ployment.

CLE Case Study: Port Augusta Women’s GroupCollaboration with SAPOL, Uniting Com-munities Safety Contact Officers, Pika Wiya Health Service and Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. Every fortnight a group of 6 to 15 Aboriginal women would meet at the Aboriginal Women’s Wellness Centre in Port Augusta to discuss issues and do activities together. The women have been meeting for almost 12 months and as part of their discussions they decided to do a cookbook. The cookbook features recipes from the women and other members of the Port Augusta community. On one occa-sion the women asked the local magistrate to attend the class and show them one of her own personal recipes. Some of the out-comes for female participants included:• greater awareness and interaction with

services within the region; and • increased emotional and social wellbeing

including improvements in the wellbeing of those suffering from depression and associated illnesses.


Clockwise from top: Aboriginal Elders from Nepabunna with Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. in

Adelaide; Workshop participants in Indulkana; and Port Augusta Women’s Group doing cooking.

The APY LandsWomen’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. is the only consistent provider of civil law servic-es to women on the APY Lands. We have been providing legal assistance and sup-port since 2007 and we work in conjunc-tion with Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Women’s Council (NPY Women’s Council). The main areas of law that we provide assistance in are:• Family violence;• Intervention orders;• Child protection;

• Debt; and • Tenancy. In addition to the provision of legal advice and legal representation we conduct com-munity legal education sessions for wom-en. This year we held workshops in Indul-kana, Mimili, Amata and Ernabella. The workshops were on family violence and In-tervention Orders. 79% of our clients on the APY Lands are victims of family violence. The women have requested that these workshops be held consistently and on a regular basis.

79% of our clients

on the

APY Lands

are victims of

family violence.


105open cases

239legal advices

48community legal education sessions provided

25%of Indigenous women at risk of homelessness

60%of clients identified family violence in a current or past

Incomescale

Disabilitystatus

CLE bylaw type

74% Low income

No income 14%

3% Not statedMedium income 5%

High income 4%

57% No

Yes 30%

Not stated 13%

94% Family law

2% Criminal lawCivil law 4%

Mainareasof law

Childprotection

Familylaw

children

Familylaw

property

OthersDivorceFamilyviolence


I was referred to Women’s Le-gal Service SA Inc. (WLSSA) by Relationships Australia. My ex-partner had run off with our young baby. He was not allow-ing me to spend any time or talk to our baby. I had no idea where he was hiding with the baby. I looked everywhere for them and I even called the police. I did not see my baby for more than 3 weeks. This was the longest I had been away from any of my children. I missed my baby’s first birthday.

I was able to get an appointment with the organisation in 2 days. My support worker came with me to the appointment. The lawyer listened to me. She told me what my options were. She did this in a way that was easy to understand. The lawyer spent a good amount of time talking to me on that first appointment and she made sure that I was ok. Both Relationships Australia and my lawyer helped me to link in with different services so that my other children and I were ok

during that time. WLSSA took my case straight away and they helped me to get my baby back. The lawyer made the whole process seem easy to me and she understood that I was nervous. I did not re-ally want to go to court. If it was not for WLSSA I would not have known what to do and I would not have got my baby back.

Aboriginal Woman’s Client Testimonial

Carissa is an Aboriginal woman.

AsiaPacificBhutanCambodiaChinaFijiIndiaIndonesiaJapanDemocratic People’s Republic of North KoreaRepublic of South Korea

MiddleEast

AlgeriaBurkina FasoBurundiCentral African RepublicCongoEgypt

SouthAmerica

ArgentinaBoliviaBrazilChile

ColombiaEl Salvador

Uruguay

EuropeAlbaniaBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicFormer Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

NorthAmerica

CanadaUnited States of America

80 countries of birthother than Australia:

AfghanistanIranIraq

JordanSaudi Arabia

Syria

AfricaEthiopiaGhanaKenyaLiberiaMoroccoNamibiaSierra Leone

South AfricaSouth SudanTanzaniaUgandaZimbabwe

NetherlandsPolandSerbiaRomaniaRussian FederationSpainUkraineUnited Kingdom

GermanyGreeceHungaryIrelandItalyLithuaniaMaltaMoldova

LaosMalaysiaNepalNew ZealandPakistanPapua New GuineaPhilippinesSri LankaThailandVietnam

35% of clients are from a non-English speaking

background. Main home languages other than

English: Arabic, Dinka, Hindi, Mandarin, Persian

(Farsi), Pitjantjatjara,Punjabi, Tagalog (Filipino),

Urdu, Vietnamese.


Culturally and LinguisticallyDiverse Women

AsiaPacificBhutanCambodiaChinaFijiIndiaIndonesiaJapanDemocratic People’s Republic of North KoreaRepublic of South Korea

MiddleEast

AlgeriaBurkina FasoBurundiCentral African RepublicCongoEgypt

SouthAmerica

ArgentinaBoliviaBrazilChile

ColombiaEl Salvador

Uruguay

EuropeAlbaniaBelgiumBosnia and HerzegovinaCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicFormer Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

NorthAmerica

CanadaUnited States of America

80 countries of birthother than Australia:

AfghanistanIranIraq

JordanSaudi Arabia

Syria

AfricaEthiopiaGhanaKenyaLiberiaMoroccoNamibiaSierra Leone

South AfricaSouth SudanTanzaniaUgandaZimbabwe

NetherlandsPolandSerbiaRomaniaRussian FederationSpainUkraineUnited Kingdom

GermanyGreeceHungaryIrelandItalyLithuaniaMaltaMoldova

LaosMalaysiaNepalNew ZealandPakistanPapua New GuineaPhilippinesSri LankaThailandVietnam

35% of clients are from a non-English speaking

background. Main home languages other than

English: Arabic, Dinka, Hindi, Mandarin, Persian

(Farsi), Pitjantjatjara,Punjabi, Tagalog (Filipino),

Urdu, Vietnamese.



It was during a visit to the doctor for my daughter when the doc-tor noticed that I had marks on my arms and she recommend-ed that I contact Women’s Legal Service SA Inc. (WLSSA) in Ad-elaide. As I was not allowed to use the telephone or leave the home without my husband’s permission, I visited the WLSSA office when I was on a school excursion with my daughter. I just rushed in and spoke to a lawyer. The lawyer took my problem on and guided me through the process. I was provided with

a telephone interpreter which I had never had access to and this clarified a lot of things for me, especially that I had a right not to be abused even though I was on a spouse visa. My hus-band always threatened to have my daughter and I deported if I complained about him or not do what he wanted me to do.The lawyer helped to find for me somewhere to live and get me help from Centacare and the Red Cross.The lawyer was someone who saved me and my daughter. She took my matter all the way to

the Migration Review Tribunal and we won, and now we can live in Australia.WLSSA gave me the best law-yer to help me with all the prob-lems I was having.My daughter and I would have been deported and I would not have any help with my sadness because of what my husband did to me. Someone at school called (another free legal ser-vice) for me, but they would not help.

CaLD Woman’s Testimonial

Michelle, a woman from a

culturally and linguistically diverse

background.

Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands(Mimili, Ernabella, Indulkana and Amata)

Coober Pedy

Port Lincoln

Kangaroo Island

Mount Gambier

Berri

Port AugustaCeduna

Whyalla

Outreach locationsin 2014-2015:

• 591 advices;

• 56 open cases;

• 51 community legal education sessions;

• Over 500 women assisted (figure does not include Aboriginal women living in Rural Regional and Remote areas).


Rural, Regional and Remote


Early Intervention – Community Legal Education

Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. prioritises the provision of community legal education (CLE) workshops and seminars for women and service providers. The CLE workshops allow us to provide women and service pro-viders with legal information that they can use to assist themselves, family, friends and clients. The ways in which WLSSA delivers information are innovative and tai-lored to suit the client group.Our most popular CLE sessions are:• Intervention orders & family violence;• Family law;• Child protection; and• Case notes for service providers.Community legal education sessions have been provided across the state and in col-laboration with a number of organisations. Some of the organisations that assisted us

with the delivery of workshops were:• My Sister’s Keeper (community organisa-

tion for women);• Women’s Education Course – TAFE SA

Elizabeth, City and Port Adelaide;• Pika Wiya Health – Aboriginal Women’s

Wellness Centre;• Relationships Australia; • UnitingCare Wesley; • Aboriginal Family Violence Legal Service

Port Lincoln & Ceduna;• Uniting Communities; • Australian Refugee Association; • Centacare; • Women’s and Children’s Health Network;

and• Central Domestic Violence Service.

Case notes presentation at Ninko Kurtangga Patpangga & Southern Domestic Violence Service

Professionals.


On 12 October 2014, Women’s Legal Ser-vice (SA) Inc. was invited by the Gender Consortium at Flinders University, to host a delegation of fellows from Mongolia and Vietnam. The fellows found the information engaging and were very interested in learn-ing about the Australian legal system. The CEO of Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. was interviewed for a segment on Mongolian television. Women’s Legal Ser-

Building Bridges Overseas

vice (SA) Inc. believes that building these relationships at an international level are crucial for information sharing, critical re-flection and creating the seeds for inno-vation through the exchange of ideas and perspectives.Thank you to Cara and Anu from the Gen-der Consortium for facilitating the oppor-tunity to engage with such an experienced cohort of international fellows.

Some of the

participants from

Mongolia.

Collaborations and Partnerships

Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. in deliver-ing a statewide service has been generous-ly supported by various organisations and agencies. Some of the organisations that supported WLSSA are:• Red Cross; • Aboriginal Family Support Service; • Umoona Community Health;• UnitingCare Wesley; • Uniting Communities;• Southern Women’s DV Service;• Migrant Women’s Lobby Group;• Family Relationship Centres – RASA and

Centacare;• NPY Women’s Council;• SAPOL – Port Augusta, Coober Pedy, Ce-

duna, & Umuwa;• TAFE SA; and• Migrant Resource Centre.The list of organisations is not exhaustive.Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. also sits on a number of committees and regional networks including the Onkaparinga Collab-orative Approach, South Australian Council of Community Legal Services, Family Law Pathways Network, Children’s Committee Working Group (Family Law Courts) and Women’s Legal Services Australia to name just a few.

Referralsfrom other

agencies

Referralsto other

agencies

11.4%

5.2%1.7%

14.5%0.9%0.1%9.3%

50.2%2.3%3.1%

43.3%24%

14.7%5%

4.6%0.4%0.5%

17.6%

3.1%5.5%8.1%

Other CLCs

Privatepractitioner

Legal AidCommission

Court/Tribunal

CommunitySupport

Centrelink

Child SupportAgency

DisputeResolutionService

Others

Other Gov’tDepartment and Agencies

Police

1.3%


The Family Relationship Centre Port Augusta was established in 2007 and since that time has regularly referred clients to the Women’s Legal Service SA Inc. (WLSSA), particularly reported family violence. We have worked collaboratively with WLSSA for close to 8 years. In working with, and referring clients to WLSSA, the Family Relationship Centre provides prompt service to our clients with respect to their family law matters. Their lawyers are em-pathetic to provide our clients with suitable advice prior to and

during the FDR process. At the Family Relationship Cen-tre, we definitely believe that we have had a positive experience with WLSSA in regards to legal issues being addressed satis-factorily. This is supported by feedback from our clients indi-cate that referrals to the WLSSA have been most positive and relevant to their needs and their legal issues were addressed ex-pediently and to their satisfac-tion.In the region in which the Family Relationship Centre Port Augus-ta operates, many clients are

from low socio economic and education backgrounds and have experienced some level of family violence. The WLSSA fills a gap in the legal services, which are pro-vided to our clients in these categories, as often one party has already accessed legal aid services, creating a conflict of interest. We commend the staff at WLS-SA for their amazing work and we look forward to a continued partnership.

Stakeholder Testimonial

Sherrie Ryan, Manager/Senior FDR

Practitioner.

Referralsfrom other

agencies

Referralsto other

agencies

11.4%

5.2%1.7%

14.5%0.9%0.1%9.3%

50.2%2.3%3.1%

43.3%24%

14.7%5%

4.6%0.4%0.5%

17.6%

3.1%5.5%8.1%

Other CLCs

Privatepractitioner

Legal AidCommission

Court/Tribunal

CommunitySupport

Centrelink

Child SupportAgency

DisputeResolutionService

Others

Other Gov’tDepartment and Agencies

Police

1.3%


Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. has an extensive volunteer base which assists the organisation in delivering a statewide service.

We would like to acknowledge the following volunteers:Volunteers 2014-15 Eleanor ArthursonHaley AitkenCristina BlumbergCaitlin BoneJohanna BoylanDion BradshawAlannah BrownRosa CarneiroElizabeth Carroll-ShawZeyanna ChaptiniZoe CormackLeah CostanzoKirsty CraigCrystal DohertyDaniella CutufiaDemi Della-PortaKelly DyerAngela Dimopoulos

Lucie EverittLinda FarantourisSophie FlahertyChloe FragosLouise GallagherLauren GarrettDeanna GattoKayla GrigoriouRachael Grauwelman-SmithHannah Hannaford GunnLaura HelmoreLeonora HerweijaZepher HicksJillian HillJessi HuntTiffany IrvingSenurie JayasuriyaMadeline JohnsCarolyn LamHannah LeaheyPei Yi LimSherrin Lim-HussainKaisa MaczugaMaria ManisErin MartinJacqui McCannRebecca McCarthyGalina MurphyLyn NobleLauren OlszowkaJulia ParkinSubasha PrasadLinh PhamSamantha RichardsVictoria RobertsonVanessa RoccisanoNihara SarkerAlexia Schar

Rachael SeaforthFatima ShamsedenZohra ShamsedenClare SharetAmelia SckaczkowskiAneeta SinghBelinda SignorelliEmily SkaraAmy SolomannAnjohnette SolomannSaskia SuttonAlexandra SvensonMadalena VelottiMarina WilliamNicole WronaPlacements 2014-15 Monica ChronisSandra ElhelwJean LeeClare SharetYasmin MoussaviWork Experience 2014-15 Anna CarneiroThank you to the following firms, barristers and chambers for their assistance and pro bono contri-butions:• Angela Ferdinandy • Hyde White Legal Services• Maria Manis Barrister & Solicitor • William Light Chambers – • Adele Du Barry, Barrister • Andrea Horvart, Barrister • Vanessa Lee, Barrister • Dora Fuda, Barrister• Ian Roberts, Barrister at Elliott

Johnston Chamber

Volunteers

5,928 hours

Monetary value of volunteers for 2014-15

$186,732

Volunteer hourscontributed for 2014-15


I heard about Women’s Legal Service SA Inc. (WLSSA) after researching Family Law prac-tices which specialised working with marginalised individuals. Working as both a Legal Vol-unteer and Placement student has been very rewarding, both for professional skills as well as on a personal level. The WLS-SA team have been extremely helpful and supportive through-out the past year and have also continuously encouraged me to develop my skills. I have found a number of cases confronting and challenging, but

the continued support from the WLSSA team has made it easi-er to cope. From my experience I have learnt Family Law is an area in which I want to practice in once graduated; a field of law I was unsure about previously. I would recommend volunteer-ing at WLSSA for other females. Although it can be challenging and highly stressful at times, the reward of seeing a client’s life genuinely change for the better or receiving that simple “Thank you for your help” makes the hard work worth it. The train-ing and support from the legal

and administrative team make it possible to develop profes-sional skills, participate in net-working events, and make new friends along the way.

Clare Sharet is a Legal Volunteer and

PLT Student.

Volunteer Testimonial


Management Board

Management Board Members• Lisa McClure, Chairperson • Dimitra Droulias, Secretary • Jo Scrima, Treasurer • Shirley Morgan, Aboriginal General Mem-

ber (identified position)• Cinzia Agelico, General Member • Heather Barnes, General Member • Gleny Jones, General Member (resigned

May 2015)

• Philippa Robertson, General Member • Julia Nitschke, Staff Representative• Zita Ngor, Ex-Officio Member (CEO)Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc. is a not for profit charitable association with DGR status. The organisation is member-ship-based. Our members come from di-verse professions and backgrounds but they are all bound by the overall vision of seeing women having access to justice


and participating within all levels of society.The association is governed by the Consti-tution. The Management Board is account-able to the members of the association. The Management Board meet for a mini-mum of 10 times during a 12 month period. The responsibilities of the Management Board include:• Strategic direction and policies;• Approving and monitoring budgets and

ensuring effective risk management strategies are in place;

• Ensuring compliance with relevant stand-ards, regulations and reporting require-ments;

• Providing accountability to members and stakeholders; and

• Appointing, supporting and monitoring the performance of the CEO.


20 Years of Women’s Legal Service (SA) Inc.

54,928 Advices

provided to women

2,537 Cases opened

2,386 Cases closed


918 Community

legal education

workshops and sessions

101 Law reform activities


Financial Summary

$937,927.42$931,032.79$764,850.29$117,390.00$48,792.50

$6,894.63

$1,008,452.55$655,205.08

$92,090.36$57,625.35

$7,991.31$68,281.14

$116,214.74$11,044.57

$70,525.13

2. Judith Stubbs & Associates, Economic Cost-Benefit Analysis of Community Legal Centres 2012:3

Total IncomeTotal Commonwealth FundingFederal Attorney GeneralFrom Prime Minister & CabinetFrom NPY Women’s Council (Funding from Prime Minister & Cabinet) Self-generated income and other activities Total ExpenditureSalaries, Wages and On-Costs totalPremises and building overheadsOffice OverheadsFinancial & Audit CostsTravel including travel for remote service deliveryProgram & Planning Disbursements paid on behalf of clients Net Surplus/DeficitDeficit in 2014/2015

Including prior year surplus, this becomes a deficit of $33,532.13

Every $1 invested in community legal services is equivalent to $18 in down-stream savings to the community.2

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