Are you interested in supporting some of the most vulnerable members of the Victorian community by providing them with knowledge and understanding of the justice system?
Volunteering with PLEA offers rewarding and practical experience in a challenging environment through presenting legal education in prisons and with at risk communities.
Applications for presenters for our programs working in youth justice centres are now open and close 12 May.
The sexual assault allegations against former Attorney-General Christian Porter raised many difficult issues. Among them was an evidentiary one: the New South Wales police have made statements indicating part of the reason they discontinued their criminal investigation into the matter was because of insufficient admissible evidence. This raises a difficult question for the future: how should the law of evidence balance the interests of complainants in obtaining justice in cases concerning sexual offences while respecting the right of an accused to a fair trial? Our panel will consider how best to answer this question.
PLEA is now recruiting volunteer presenters for prisons and youth justice centres across Melbourne and Geelong. If you’re a law student, with a passion for social justice, and able to commit to 3-4 sessions a month, we’d love to hear from you!
Applications must be received by 9 February 2020 for this recruitment round.
With the recent publicised dispute between Israel Folau and Rugby Australia, and the subsequent discussion of a religious freedom bill before Parliament, attention in the community has again been drawn to religious freedoms in Australia. This panel discussion will explore the current framework for religious freedoms, and provide a chance for a deeper understanding of the debate as well as how religious considerations impact many areas of law.
PLEA volunteers will be providing free community legal education seminars
All seminars begin at 4pm
Amaroo Neighbourhood Centre
34 Amaroo St, Chadstone 9807 2625
Please note we cannot give legal advice
We are looking for volunteers in our programs in the community across Melbourne, and for prisons and youth justice centres in Melbourne and Geelong.
Volunteers have the unique opportunity to put their legal knowledge into practice working with communities in prisons and the community.
In light of the recent sentencing of Borce Ristevski and Joseph Esmaili, sections of the community have expressed anger and shock at what appears to be a disparity between the proportionality of these sentences. Families of the victims and the community are trying to grapple with the 9-year (6-year non-parole) sentence of Risetevski for the manslaughter of his wife, Karen Ristevski, and the 10-year, mandatory minimum non-parole sentence of Esmaili for the one-punch manslaughter of surgeon Patrick Pritzwald-Stegmann. Are these sentences justified? If not, what can be done to quell the community’s concern that justice is served?
PLEA is recruiting for volunteers in our programs in the community across Melbourne, and for prisons and youth justice centres in Melbourne and Geelong.
If you’re a law student with a passion for social justice and availability to deliver sessions for 12 months of more, we would love to hear from you.
In partnership with the Amaroo Neighbourhood Centre Inc. in Chadstone, PLEA will be hosting a community information session on Family Law and Dispute Resolution on Monday 13 May.
This free session is open to all community members (note PLEA volunteers provide general legal education but cannot provide individual case advice).
With increasing instances of vulnerable workers (including migrant workers, backpackers, retail and hospitality workers) being denied work entitlements, there have been calls to create a criminal offence to combat crippling underpayments and denials of entitlements. Join our panel of employment rights advocates as we delve into the prospect of criminalising underpaying workers, and whether such an offence would curb these actions in the retail, hospitality and other industries.