Law Reform
One of the important aims of Kingsford Legal Centre is undertaking systemic advocacy, including law reform, and to represent the interests of clients and the local community on social policy and administration of justice issues. Law reform work is undertaken not only in the local and national arena but also the international arena.
Law Reform is sometimes done in partnership with other community legal centres and with other organisations with KLC being an active member of both the national and NSW community legal centre law reform networks.
Law reform work at KLC includes responding to Government inquires, submissions in areas of law and policy directly relating to our clients and legislative review.
Below are links to Law Reform submissions made by KLC in the past two years: (with links to the submissions)
2010
Submission to the inquiry into the future direction and role of the Scrutiny of Bills Committee
April 2010
Sex Discrimination Act amendments;
KLC wrote a submission on behalf of the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC) about proposed changes to the Sex Discrimination Act (SDA) to the Senate Inquiry on the SDA. Among other mechanisms, we recommended that compounded forms of discrimination be more adequately recognised in law and that systemic discrimination needs to be better addressed.
Scrutiny of Bills (Human Rights) Act.
KLC provided a submission to this Committee on the need to examine legislation with respect to compliance with human rights obligations.
Attorney General’s Consolidation of Federal Discrimination Law
Due to KLC’s longstanding specialist casework practice in discrimination law, KLC was active in the Federal Government’s project to consolidate existing federal anti-discrimination law into one Act. KLC saw this as an important opportunity to improve human rights protection in Australia and improve the way the law works. KLC worked with other community legal centres across Australia to provide input to the Government on how federal discrimination law could be improved.
Australian Human Rights Commission Inquiry into Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination
KLC wrote a submission on the need to provide federal protection for discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
December 2010
2009
Model Litigant Policy
KLC provided comments about the Draft Recommendations, specifically in relation to the Model Litigant Policy
October 2009
Family Court Review
Kingsford Legal Centre made a submission on the way the current law and courts system impact families at risk of child abuse or family violence in Australia. In particular, this submission provides some anecdotal evidence of the extent domestic violence is taken into account into decisions about children since the change to a new presumption of equal shared parental responsibility (Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act 2006) and community perceptions about this change to the law.
October 2009
International Students
Submission was made to the Senate Inquiry into the Welfare of International Students, launched in response to a series of attacks on Indian students in Melbourne and Sydney in 2009.
August 2009
Protection of Human Rights
In 2009 KLC made a submission to the Brennan committee, a national consultative committee commissioned by the Federal government on the need for improved human rights protection in Australia. KLC undertook a range of activities including:
Promotion of the National Human Rights Consultation
Encouraging and providing assistance to 350 people to make a submission
Conducting a community education program on human rights that included articles in local community newsletters, addressing groups of staff, clients and the general public, information stalls at community events
Preparing a submission from KLC that Australia should enact a federal Human Rights Act
June 2009
Freedom of Religion
KLC made a submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission Inquiry into Freedom of Religion and Belief in the 21st Century.
March 2009
2008
Human Rights Reporting
Through the production of NGO reports for the UN, KLC was involved in a project to document the state of human rights in Australia. In April 2008 KLC in conjunction with the National Association of CLCs and the Human Rights Law Resource Centre, submitted are port on Australia’s implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR).
In October 2008 KLC submitted a NGO Report on Australia’s implantation on the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to the UNS Human Rights Committee. The ICCPR Report was contributed to by over 50 NGOs and support by over 200.
Freedom Respect Equality Dignity: Action (Full Report)
This submission to the Human Rights Committee was prepared by the National Association of Community Legal Centres, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre and Kingsford Legal Centre
September 2008
Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Effectiveness of the Commonwealth Sex Discrimination Act 1984 in Eliminating Discrimination and Promoting Gender Equality
This is a joint submission prepared by Kingsford Legal Centre, with assistance from Women‘s Legal Services NSW, the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, and the Public Interest Law Clearing House, on behalf of the National Association of Community Legal Centres and the Combined Community Legal Centres Group (NSW).
August 2008
Which Way Home
Submission to the Australian Governments Green Paper on Homelessness
June 2008
Productivity Commissions Public Inquiry into Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave
The Centre relied on its extensive employment and discrimination law practice to propose 26 weeks of paid maternity leave, greater options for parent to return to part time work and flexible work conditions after parental leave.
May 2008
Freedom Respect Equality Dignity: Action (Summary Report)
This submission to the Human Rights Committee was prepared by the National Association of Community Legal Centres, the Human Rights Law Resource Centre and Kingsford Legal Centre
April 2008
Inquiry into Stolen Generation Compensation Bill 2008
In the submission to the inquiry KLC recommended that compensation be available to children who were forcibly removed from their communities and that other Bringing Them Home Report recommendations are followed.
April 2008
2007
Review of the Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport
August 2007
