Co-hosts Jimi & Lizzie are joined by Jess de Vries, Director of Legal Services at Women's Legal Service Victoria, to discuss a number of the incredible efforts undertaken by the WLSV team across the State. Whether discussing family law, criminal law, VOCAT, child protection or social work, Jess provides some fascinating insights into what her team are doing to support some of Victoria's most vulnerable communities. 

Jimi & Liz are joined by Jo Parkin & Shifrah Blustein of the Infringements Working Group to give us the lay of the legal land for those finding themselves in a sticky situation when it comes to fines and infringements.  A community legal centre or financial counsellor may be able to help you with your fines, especially if you have multiple fines and you have an experience of family violence, homelessness, mental health issues or disability, or drug and alcohol misuse.Find your local community legal centre: https://www.fclc.org.au/find_a_community_legal_centreFind your local financial counsellor: 1800 007 007 Information about the fines system that may help you self-manage your fine is available here:Law HandbookJustice Connect Homeless Law

Lauren Levin of Financial Counselling Australia joins Jimi & Britt to discuss the hidden epidemic of gambling harm in Australia. 

Listeners please be advised that in this episode we discuss topics including family and domestic violence, sexual assault, and mental ill health. In this episode we hear about Health Justice Partnership from CEO of Health Justice Australia, Tessa Boyd-Caine. This important justice movement creates opportunities for lawyers and health care and other providers to assist their clients and communities with overlapping justice needs. Health Justice Australia was formed in 2016 and work to support the Health Justice Partnership movement across Australia.To learn more visit: https://healthjustice.org.au/ 

Amy Schneider from Economic Justice Australia joins hosts Britt & Jimi in their discussion of the recent Robodebt report. 

This special week is NAIDOC week, a week in which we celebrate the history, culture and achievements of First Nations people. This episode, we are very lucky to have Mrs. Bettina Cooper on our show who we pay respect to.Mrs. Bettina Cooper is a proud Aboriginal woman from the Boandik people of First Nations of South East Australia near what we now call Mount Gambier in South Australia and for many thousands and thousands of years Bettina’s ancestors lived on that country.Bettina is an experienced Aboriginal Financial Counsellor and currently works as Mob Strong Financial Counsellor and Strategy Lead at the Financial Rights Legal Centre, NSW and the Campaign Coordinator for the Save Sorry Business Coalition . In both roles, Bettina advocates for people who are disadvantaged as a result of language, literacy skills, geographical isolation, low income, disability, trauma or related factors. She is passionate about supporting her community.Recently Save Sorry Business Coalition won the Consumers’ Federation of Australia’s Showcase advocacy award for their campaigning on action to support First Nations consumers impacted by the collapse of funeral insurer Youpla.  We congratulate Bettina and the Save Sorry Business Coalition on the recent and very well-deserved award. 

Housing has become an increasingly desperate situation for so many in the community, and renters are often the most vulnerable and at risk of poverty and homelessness. The current private tenancy rates are sitting well below 1% in many parts of the state, and suitable accommodation stock is often worse for those with little to spend or who need access to critical services. On top of that, many renters have been slugged with massive increases on their rent, making keeping a roof over their head very hard, and with nowhere available to go.  Done By Law recently spoke to RAHU (Renters and Housing Union), but  given the immense amount of pressure many in our community are feeling about their housing stability, we’re focusing on the legal rights of renters and cases currently being taken to VCAT or other Courts to consider these issues. To help us understand, we’re joined tonight by Amy Frew. Amy is the Director of Client Services at Tenants Victoria, a specialist CLC that serves renters statewide. Tenants Victoria’s vision is for a safe, secure and affordable home for Victorian renters in a fair housing system. For more information visit: https://tenantsvic.org.au/contact-us/  

It’s National Reconciliation Week, and we’re all talking about the Voice to Parliament for First Nations Australians.There’s a lot of myths swirling around about this proposed change to our Federal Constitution. So, this episode of Done by Law is about myth-busting that chatter.Tom Warne-Smith, senior lawyer at West Heidelberg Community Legal joins us to help sort out and explain a few of those misconceptions, from the law perspective.

In this episode of Done by Law, Ingrid and Beth look at the ANZAC legend and its 21st Century legacy – a century during which Australia has continued to participate in foreign conflicts (with allegations of serious war crimes committed against civilians by Australian troops in Afghanistan) and where it might be said that violations of the laws of war appear to have occurred without sufficient scrutiny or, as yet, redress in domestic or international systems.  We’re joined by Dr Carolyn Holbrook, a Senior Lecturer in the Contemporary Histories Research Group at Deakin University, and the Director of Australian Policy and History. Her latest book, Lessons from History: Leading Historians Tackle Australia's Greatest Challenges was published in July 2022. She is writing a history of Australians' attitudes towards their federal system of government, and co-authoring with Professor James Walter a history of policy-making in Australia. Carolyn is the author of the award winning book, Anzac: The Unauthorised Biography, about the history of how Australians have remembered the First World War, and co- edited The Great War: Aftermath and Commemoration (2019). We then speak with Professor Felicity Gerry KC, an international King’s Counsel at Libertas Chambers, London and Crockett Chambers, Melbourne, largely defending in serious and complex criminal trials and appeals, often with an international element. Felicity is admitted to the list of counsel for the International Criminal Court and the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague and in England & Wales and in Australia and has had ad hoc admission in Hong Kong and Gibraltar. Felicity is an Honorary Professor at Salford University in the School of Health and Society where her research focus is on Autism and criminal law, FGM law and Child Rights. She is also Professor of Legal Practice at Deakin University where she is unit chair for Contemporary International Legal Challenges.  Postcript - at the time this show aired, 25 April 2023, no allegations of war crimes associated with Australia's special forces in Afghanistan have been proven. Image: Unassailable Heroes (Pioneer) Man with Whip and Sacred Cows, and the Band played Waltzing MatildaArtist: John CITIZEN (aka) Gordon BennettAboriginal/IndigenousDate: 1996Medium/Material: synthetic polymer, pencil and watercolour on paperState Art Collection, Art Gallery of Western Australia© The Estate of Gordon Bennett

Lizzy, Jimmy and Britt talk to Sarah Sacher, Law Reform Officer at Economic Justice Australia about some of the big issues in social security law currently, including changes to the couples assessment, the AAT, and ongoing issues with Robodebt. Listeners are advised that this episode discusses family violence and Centrelink.If you are requiring assistance with Social Security debts/Centrelink debts you can contact Social Security Rights Victoria on phone: 03 9481 0355 or National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.If you are experiencing family violence you should contact Safe Steps on 1800 015 188 24 hours a day/7 days a week.  If you are in immediate danger, please contact 000.

Dylan and Indy speak with Eirene Tsolidis Noyce about renter's rights, the 'rental crisis', and RAHU.Learn more about RAHU here: https://rahu.org.au/