About Us

Women’s Legal Services (WLS) NSW is funded by the Commonwealth and State governments to provide a free community legal service for women in NSW. From the beginning WLS NSW has pioneered new ways of helping women to access the law.

Vision

To achieve access to justice and a just legal system for all women in NSW, as all women have the right to live free from violence, injustice, inequality and discrimination.

Values

Women’s Legal Services NSW holds these values as the basis for delivery of programs and services to achieve its purpose:

Quality of Service: Resources will be used efficiently and effectively, striving for excellence in management, staff, service delivery and accountability to clients and funding bodies.

Priority: Priority will be given to programs addressing violence against women with services directed to women most disadvantaged in their access to justice.

Broad Agenda: WLS NSW will seek broad solutions to legal issues through the identification of structural inequalities in the legal system, which limits the lives of women.

Access and Equity: WLS NSW will work to ensure all women have access to programs regardless of age, race, ethnic origin, political or religious beliefs, disability or disadvantage. Where there are competing demands on the resources of WLS NSW, priority will go to the women most disadvantaged in their access to justice.

Empowerment: WLS NSW will work with women in ways which assist them to move to self determination through being better informed of their legal rights and responsibilities and the resources available.

Independence: WLS NSW is a non-aligned organization, is independent of Government and private services in the area of justice and is responsible to women in NSW.

Complementarity and Cooperation: WLS NSW will work to complement the work of other effective legal and women’s service providers and will make use of other opportunities for co-operative ventures with them.

Respect: WLS NSW will work and will offer services and programs in ways that are respectful of the dignity, safety and integrity of clients, management and staff.

Mission

Women’s Legal Services NSW exists to provide a voice for women in NSW and to promote access to justice, through the provision of legal services, law reform and community legal education, particularly for women who are disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances.

WLS NSW will, from a feminist perspective, foster legal and social change to redress the inequalities that women experience.

History

In 1982, a group of female legal activists founded Australia’s first legal service for women. The Women’s Legal Resources Centre (WLRC) was established to promote access to justice through the provision of legal services, law reform, and community legal education; particularly for women disadvantaged by social and economic circumstances.

In 1986, WLRC recognised the need for a community legal centre dedicated solely to women experiencing domestic violence. The Domestic Violence Advocacy Service (DVAS) provides advice, advocacy, information, and education, in addition to developing policy and working towards law reform.

Between 1995 and 1998, WLRC established five Legal Outreach services across Western Sydney and in Wyong. These services enable women to receive face-to-face legal advice in their local areas.

In 1996, with the aid of Federal Government funding, WLRC formed the Indigenous Women’s Program. This program aims to improve the services offered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, providing free legal advice, referrals to other community and legal organisations, training, and community workshops.

In 1996, the NSW Government, through the Legal Aid Commission of NSW, provided funding to set up a Training and Resource unit for the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistance Program. This unit now provides training and resources to Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistance Schemes (WDVCAS) throughout NSW, and administrative support and resources to the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Assistance Schemes Network (WDVCAS Network).

In 2000 WLRC received the Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission Law Award for our services for Aboriginal women.

As Women’s Legal Resources Centre (WLRC) grew and developed it’s diverse programs, the board of directors changed the name of the service to Women’s Legal Services NSW to reflect the work of the organisation. This change occurred in 2003 and WLRC remains one of Women’s Legal Services (WLS) NSW programs.

WLS NSW auspices the Walgett and Bourke/Brewarrina Family Violence Prevention Legal Services (WFVPLS & BBFVPLS), which are funded by the Commonwealth Attorney General’s Department. The Family Violence Prevention Legal Services aim to facilitate community development in the prevention of family violence. The services combine legal resources with skills training, group and individual support, community education and advocacy.

Through the provision of access to legal information, resources, advice, law reform and training WLS NSW works to achieve its goal of a just legal system for all women in NSW.