A report containing the research findings from an evaluation of the first year of a free legal aid service for new migrants in Sydney's western suburbs has deemed the service successful.
The lead author, Hugh McDonald, explained that "tremendous" hindrances exist for people from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) backgrounds—especially in regard to fear of authority and a lack of knowledge about Australian law—and the free service, based in migrant resource centres, overcame barriers to resolve legal issues for vulnerable refugees and migrants.
Titled "Reaching in by joining-up", and authored by the independent Law and Justice Foundation of NSW, the report presents data from the service's first year of operation:
- 2,182 instances of service were provided from 10 locations.
- 88 per cent of clients were born in non-English speaking countries.
- Iraq, Vietnam, Lebanon, Iran and China were the top five origin nations.
- 51 per cent of services dealt with immigration law, 21 per cent concerned family law, and 28 per cent were regarding other matters, including injury and employment issues.
- People who had lived in Australia for two years or less received 21 per cent of services.
The service was launched in March 2013, and its 10 centres are managed by Legal Aid NSW and Settlement Services International (SSI). Dr McDonald told ABC News:
"The beauty of this model of service is that it's taking services into the locations where people with problems can go and obtain services from a trusted location."
Furthermore, the migrant resource centres that the client service officers are working from are located in suburban areas that are familiar and comfortable for the new arrivals. Given that trust and fear are two major issues for the people that the service targets, the ability to offer a service in such a manner has proven crucial.