Consumer Action Law Centre

Written on the 9 April 2020 by SAFCA

Like so many people across the community, all staff at Consumer Action Law Centre are now working from home.

Our services are continuing as usualand our lawyers and financial counsellors can be contacted through the usual channels.

We have made some adaptations. In particular, we have established an external remote mail room to ensure your correspondence reaches us.

We've taken steps to ensure privacy is maintained. Our reception phone number is also being diverted, but continues to be answered. All messages will be returned. Our reception number is 03 9670 5088, or contact reception via our website.

More and more community organisations are joining us in advocacy to Keep Communities Connected during the COVID-19 crisis. We've been pleased to see many industries and businesses change standard practices to ensure essential services remain connected, and take steps to improve accessibility of hardship support and address the risk of debt accumulation.

It is critical during a health crisis that people remain connected to essential services such as housing, electricity, water and telecommunications. We're keeping track of responses here, so please let us know of any information that can be shared.

We also welcome the announcement from the Federal Government that it will provide additional funding to support financial counselling, including through the National Debt Helpline. Unfortunately, more people will need assistance with debts over coming months and years.

However, the huge gap in funding in relation to legal assistance remains. In its response to the Financial Services Royal Commission, the Federal Government agreed there is a need for predictable and stable funding for legal assistance services. But community legal centres, including Consumer Action Law Centre, are losing dedicated funding for specialist consumer legal assistance. It is the wrong time for this to happen.

We ask you to join us in calling for a boost in consumer legal assistance services across Australia, to help respond to huge challenges the community faces following the summer of bushfires and the COVID-19 crisis. Please consider contacting the Attorney-General by emailing Christian.Porter.MP@aph.gov.au

Gerard Brody CEO,

Consumer Action Law Centre