Hume Riverina Community Legal Service

28/10/2026

No one should have to choose between living with unsafe housing conditions and risking the loss of their home.

Our Housing Collaboration Coordinator attended the Anika Legal Housing Justice Forum, where the Evicted report was launched.

The report highlights the experiences of renters who have received notices to vacate after requesting repairs or asserting their rights and calls for stronger protections against retaliatory evictions.

We are proud to work with Anika Legal, whose service supports Victorian renters experiencing repairs issues, retaliatory notices to vacate, and bond issues.

Through legal assistance, advocacy and systemic reform work, Anika Legal are helping to improve housing security for renters across Victoria.

We are a service of UMFC

20/10/2026

19/10/2026

We are all shocked and saddened to hear the news about Helen Haines last night and our hearts go out to her, her family and team. We think of all those medical and other staff treating and caring for her and for all those in Wangaratta, Indi and around the country who are impacted by this devastating incident.
Helen has been an incredible advocate for our community and supporter of our work. We were so grateful to have met with her only last week.

19/10/2026

Our vision is for a society where all people enjoy equality of opportunity and have equal access to the law.

Family violence continues to have a significant impact on individuals, families and communities across North East Victoria.
Hume Riverina Community Legal Service provides legal assistance to victim-survivors and people at risk of family violence across our region.

We know that family violence is rarely just one legal issue.
It can affect a person's safety, housing, finances, parenting arrangements and overall wellbeing.

Access to early legal assistance can be critical.
It helps people understand their rights, improve their safety, secure housing, address financial issues and access the support they need to move forward.

Every day, community legal services help Victorians experiencing family violence to navigate complex legal problems.
Yet demand for assistance continues to grow, and too many people are unable to access legal help when they need it most.

Increasing our reach to priority communities and advocating for law reform that addresses local needs are key priorities in our Strategic Plan.
That's why we're supporting the Federation of Community Legal Centres' We've Got Your Back campaign.

The campaign is calling for:
✅ Secure five-year funding for existing community legal programs
✅ Investment to expand access to legal assistance for more Victorians

If you believe everyone deserves access to legal help regardless of where they live or how much they earn, you can support the campaign by sending a message to your local MP.

👉 Take action here: https://www.fclc.org.au/wgyb_familyviolence

Community legal services help keep people safe, strengthen communities and ensure that no one has to face legal problems alone.

We are a service of UMFC.

16/10/2026

For young people experiencing disadvantage, legal issues can be just one of many challenges competing for their attention.

Sometimes the biggest hurdle to getting legal help is simply knowing it is available, trusting the person providing it, and being able to access it in a place where you already feel supported.

Through our Invisible Hurdles Program, HRCLS works to make assistance more accessible to young people.

Programs like Invisible Hurdles show what community legal services can achieve when we have the resources to work differently and reach people who might otherwise miss out on legal help.

That’s why we’re supporting the Federation of Community Legal Centres Victoria's We’ve Got Your Back campaign, calling for secure five-year funding for existing community legal programs and investment to give more Victorians access to the legal help they need.

📣 You can help support community legal services by sending a message to your local MP.
👉 Support schools, students and families: https://www.fclc.org.au/wgyb_education

Because when young people are supported early, we can help prevent legal problems from becoming bigger hurdles later on.

We are a service of UMFC.

15/10/2026

Yesterday, our Civil Law team lawyers Debbie and Maggie proudly represented HRCLS at Parliament House for the launch of Justice Where We Live.

It was a great opportunity to stand alongside colleagues from CLCs across Australia, including the Federation of Community Legal Centres Victoria, Knowmore, First Nations Women's Legal, Central Australian Women's Legal Service, and Kimberley Community Legal Services Inc., advocating for better access to justice for people living in regional and remote communities.

The launch was hosted by Federal Member for Indi Helen Haines MP and Member for Lingiari Marion Scrymgour MP, bringing community legal centres and parliamentarians together to highlight access to justice in regional and remote Australia.

A big thank you to Community Legal Centres Australia for bringing to life and creating a platform to amplify the experiences and voices of regional and remote communities.

We’re incredibly proud to have HRCLS and the experiences of our regional communities represented in this important national conversation.

👉 Explore Justice Where We Live: https://clcs.org.au/justice-where-we-live/

We are a service of UMFC.

14/10/2026

Today, we were proud to celebrate the launch of Justice Where We Live at Parliament House in Canberra, a new advocacy project from Community Legal Centres Australia

The project shines a light on the barriers people living in regional and remote communities face when accessing justice, while sharing stories from communities and community legal centres across Australia.

We’re especially proud to see Kristi, Senior Lawyer in HRCLS’s Family Law and Family Violence Practice, featured in the interactive map, sharing a story from our region and giving an insight into the work being done locally to improve access to justice.

Where you live shouldn’t determine whether you can access the legal help you need.

We’re proud to stand alongside community legal centres across Australia in advocating for equitable access to justice, no matter where you live.

👉 Explore Justice Where We Live and the interactive map:
https://clcs.org.au/justice-where-we-live/

We are a service of UMFC

30/09/2026

Access to justice should never depend on your postcode.

At HRCLS, we were proud to participate in the Emerging Lawyers Program.

The program not only strengthens the regional legal workforce but helps ensure that people experiencing family violence can access specialist legal support close to home.
For regional communities, where legal services are often stretched and opportunities for specialist practice can be limited, initiatives like this make a real difference.

Women's Legal Service Victoria is calling on all political parties to commit ongoing funding for the program so that more Victorians can access the legal help they need to rebuild their lives after family violence.

Through our work with clients, we have seen firsthand the difference this program makes, and we are proud to support the campaign.

Learn more: https://www.womenslegal.org.au/advocacy/fund-emerging-lawyers

29/09/2026

HRCLS welcomes recent legislative changes that will help make the fines system fairer and more accessible for people experiencing hardship and vulnerability.

These reforms include:

✅ Expanding the Family Violence Scheme to provide relief from certain excessive speeding fines where a victim-survivor was not the driver.
✅ Expanding Work and Development Permits (WDPs) to include court fines, creating more pathways for people to address fines through treatment, education, counselling, community work and other activities that address the underlying causes of offending.
✅ Progressing reforms aimed at resolving historic imprisonment warrants and reducing the risk of people being imprisoned because of fines debt.

We see firsthand how fines can compound disadvantage and create barriers for people already facing significant challenges, including family violence, homelessness, mental health issues and financial hardship.

These changes reflect years of advocacy by community legal centres, the Infringements Working Group and lived experience advocates working together towards a fairer system.

While there is still more work to do, these reforms are an important step towards ensuring people receive support to address the causes of their fines rather than becoming trapped in a cycle of debt and disadvantage.

We are proud to stand alongside community organisations and advocates continuing to push for a fairer and more effective fines system for all Victorians.

We are a service of UMFC.

📷 Images provided by the Infringements Working Group

24/09/2026

This AFL Grand Final season, we are proud to support Women's Health Goulburn North East's Safe Through Every Season campaign, encouraging our communities to play a role in preventing family violence.

Research shows that family violence rises by around 20% on AFL Grand Final day in Victoria.
While sporting events are an opportunity for communities to celebrate and connect, family violence continues to have a significant impact across our region.
By challenging disrespect when we see it, supporting one another, and promoting positive attitudes and behaviours, we can help prevent violence before it starts.
We encourage our community to learn more about the Safe Through Every Season campaign and help share the message that respect and safety matter in every season.

Free, confidential support is available 24/7 for you or a mate experiencing challenges with mental health, relationships, anger, controlling behaviour or family violence.
If you require support, you can contact MensLine on 1300 789 978 or access their website: Free help, referrals & counselling for men: MensLine Australia

We are a service of UMFC

📷 Safe Through Every Season campaign resource provided by Women's Health Goulburn North East