Michael Thai, Riya Shah and Susai Benjamin
Honorary director and acting principal solicitor of Toongabbie Legal Centre (TLC) Susai Benjamin says that demand for the Centre’s services is on the rise, and the only way to meet the community’s need for the TLC’s services is to have a full-time office. Susai and his team of volunteers have been providing free legal services for vulnerable people in the Toongabbie-Seven Hills-Blacktown area for the last seven years.
The Centre says that an influx of new immigrants in the area has resulted in a dramatic increase in the population. Most of the new immigrants in the area require legal education and other services, and the TLC is well-placed to cater to the growing legal needs of the community.
Susai started the Toongabbie TLC in 2007. A resident of Toongabie, Susai felt that communities in the area were in need of a local organisation that could address their legal problems and help them access the legal system.
TLC’s aim is to assist those unable to obtain free legal assistance as well as those who may not meet the criteria for obtaining NSW Legal Aid, or those who may have other difficulties accessing legal assistance.
The TLC was established after a long process of community consultation. Today, the TLC provides free legal service through its volunteers, who are solicitors, migration agents, social workers, law students, financial advisers and other professionals.
The TLC has a 10-member management committee including solicitors, law students and other professionals. The President of the NSW Court of Appeal, Justice Margaret Beazley AO, is the Centre’s patron.
Due to the rising demand the the TLC’s initial Saturday morning services were expanded to include Thursday evenings. Besides fast legal advice, TLC also conducts community legal education from time to time. TLC has made presentations to a wide range of audiences.
Based on its work with the community, TLC also contributes to legal reform by advising government agencies on aspects of laws, policies and procedures. The TLC expects this area of its work to expand in the future. The Centre also undertakes specific projects to explore and advance the functioning of the legal system as it affects community members.
In December 2011, TLC opened an Outreach Legal Service at Blacktown. Michael Thai, who now heads the Blacktown Legal Centre, says that the Centre is working towards functioning autonomously in the near future.
The TLC does not provide representation in tribunals and courts. In exceptional circumstances, however, TLC may decide to provide limited representation free of charge or refer clients to a panel of solicitors, barristers, migration agents and other professionals they can choose from. These professionals then may help clients free of cost or at a discounted service, depending on the client’s circumstances.
The TLC receives small grants towards short-term projects from local governments or non-government agencies. Other than this the Centre seeks donations and raises funds through its annual dinners. These funds are not adequate to meet the growing needs of the organisation and so the TLC is seeking recurring funding to enable it to function throughout the week.
The TLC’s drop-in service is located in St Anthony’s church at 27 Aurelia Street, Toongabbie. The Blacktown Legal Centre is at St Patrick’s church, 51-59 Allawah Street.
Published in The Indian Sun, Indian magazine in Sydney
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