The people of Woolgoolga and surrounds have been locked out from receiving free legal support in civil matters, simply because they live in the wrong suburbs.
The vast majority of the state can access free civil legal support and advocacy through community legal centres, but Woolgoolga and surrounding suburbs have been left stranded.
“It’s pretty much the only gap left in all of NSW,” Catherine Peek - the deputy CEO of the Advocacy Law Alliance - told the Mid North Coaster.
“It seems really outrageous that there is nowhere local for them to get free legal advice.”
Lay of the land: From Nabiac to just south of Woolgoolga, the not-for-profit Mid North Coast Legal Centre (MNCLC) offers free legal advice and advocacy.
Staff provide information on a range of civil law issues, including employment, traffic incidents, family violence and government services.
Local support: The MNCLC has operated an office in Coffs Harbour - 25km from Woolgoolga - since 2019.
However, its support is not available to residents of Woolgoolga, Corindi Beach, Arrawarra, Dirty Creek, Mullaway, Upper Corindi, Red Rock, Sandy Beach and Safety Beach.
“We can't provide the service based on their postcode, and we're not aware that there's another gap like that across NSW,” Peek said.
Where to seek support: In the absence of a community legal centre, residents in Woolgoolga must rely on remote phone services - such as Law Access NSW - or engage the services of a lawyer.
Peek said the MNCLC had made three unsuccessful applications for government funding to fill the gap, as they get “quite a lot of calls” from people in those suburbs seeking support. The service is funded by federal cash that is distributed by the states.
The most recent funding round had a specific aim to improve geographic coverage of community legal centres across NSW, however no funds were allocated for Woolgoolga.
Attorney General’s response: A spokesperson for NSW Attorney General Michael Daley said funding for individual centres was “informed by an independent tender evaluation process”.
They did not comment on why Woolgoolga does not have access to the service, or if there were plans to fix that.
The demand: Sarah Dahlenburg, Assistant Principal Solicitor at the MNCLC, said the “legal need is absolutely there” in Woolgoolga, particularly in light of recent allegations of worker mistreatment on blueberry farms.
“There's a lot of vulnerability in the migrant community there. There's a lot of need for employment law assistance there.”
Key service: Woolgoolga local and Coffs Harbour councillor Tony Judge said workers “have a critical need for advice and advocacy on employment law”.
“It is a key tool in combatting exploitation.”