The Disaster Legal Support Program (DLSP) is the evolution of the Bushfire Community Legal Program. The DLSP provides free legal help and legal education for South Australians living in areas affected by natural disasters.
Our services include face to face legal advice (as well as phone and email) and community legal education throughout South Australia.
The DLSP sees a dedicated Legal Officer travel out to these areas to deliver free:
- face to face appointments;
- legal advice;
- information;
- referrals; and
- legal education sessions
to support individuals, small business, and communities with their disaster preparedness and/or response.
Free Community Legal Education
The DLSP presents free legal education sessions in disaster affected or high risk communities around South Australia.
Click here for upcoming events presented by DLSP
Community Justice Services SA is pleased to have received funding from the State Attorney-General’s Department to continue and expand upon the program’s amazing work, to also assist South Australians affected by the River Murray floods, and other natural disasters until 30 June 2024.
Contact Jacqui Nuske on 0428 066 958 or [email protected] to discuss hosting a free legal education event in your community.
Photo Credit: Channel 7 News
Free Legal Help for South Australians Affected by Floods
Community Justice Services SA is providing free legal advice and ongoing assistance for members of the community affected by the 2022 floods.
Free legal appointments are available in the Riverland, Murray Bridge and Southern Adelaide by contacting one of our offices (below). Our solicitors can assist with a range of legal issues including insurance, tenancies, employment, civil disputes, debt and hardship, family law, Centrelink disputes and criminal matters.
Free Community Legal Information Sessions
Community Justice is currently running free information sessions on 5 Key Tips on Insurance for Floods for River Murray communities.
Contact Georgina Portus at the Riverland Community Justice Centre on (08) 8582 4998 or [email protected] or Jacqui Nuske at the Christies Beach office on 0428 066 958 or [email protected] to request an information session for your local community.
Where to get help if you have been affected by River Murray floods.
Riverland
For people in the Riverland, our solicitors will be visiting the Relief Centre in Berri in the afternoons throughout December and January.
The Relief Centre is located at Berri Senior Citizens Club, 9/12 Crawford Terrace Berri. It opens at 9am on Tuesday 29 November and will be open 9am to 5pm, 7 days a week.
You can also contact our local office directly to book a free legal advice appointment or find out more about our services:
Riverland Community Justice Centre:
9 Kay Avenue, Berri 5343
Phone: (08) 8582 4998
Murray Bridge and Southern Adelaide
Community members living in the Murraylands, and outside of the Riverland can contact Southern Community Justice Centre to book a free legal appointment:
Southern Community Justice Centre
40 Beach Road, Christies Beach SA 5165
Phone: 1300 850 650
Mannum Emergency Relief Centre
The South Australian Government has opened an Emergency Relief Centre in Mannum from Wednesday 7 December, for those whose principal place of residence has been affected by the River Murray Flood.
The Centre is located at the Mannum Football Club, 28 Belvedere Rd, Mannum and will be available 9am to 5pm, 7 days.
Useful Resources
River Murray Flood : Important Websites
Resource provided by the SES and the SA Government
5 Key Insurance Tips for Floods
How to be best prepared for an event, or to navigate an insurance claim
Riverland Community Justice Centre Information Poster
Can be downloaded / printed and distributed
Background of the Bushfire Community Legal Program
The DLSP is the evolution of the award-winning Bushfire Community Legal Program, which first commenced as a project in 2020 in response to the catastrophic 2019/2020 Black Summer Bushfires. For its first 18 months, the BCLP was delivered by Community Legal Centres SA, in collaboration with the Legal Services Commission SA, and served the Kangaroo Island, Yorketown and Adelaide Hills communities. The BCLP has been funded by the Commonwealth Government.
Photo Credit: The Islander
Photo: Supplied
Photo Credit: The Islander
Photo: Supplied
Climate and Sustainability Policy Research Group (CASPR)
Evaluation of BCLP 2020/2021
Towards the end of 2021, CASPR undertook a thorough evaluation of the BCLP’s first 18 months of service delivery. The BCLP is pleased with the findings of the evaluation and is looking forward to implementing a number of the recommendations over the course of the next 18 months. In particular, we are happy with the evaluation’s findings that:
“There is much to be commended in the pilot project’s design and implementation. The project meets all of the service characteristics requirements of international best practice. It also displays all the required core service features of the international best practice benchmark”
The BCLP wishes to thank CASPR for their work, commendations, and recommendations and, most importantly, we thank the service providers and community members who generously volunteered their time and feedback to CASPR for the purpose of the evaluation. A copy of the report can be accessed here.
To see what the BCLP’s Legal Officer, Jacqui Nuske has been up to, when she might be travelling out to your community, any community legal education we are providing, or to receive general information and tips, follow the DLSP Facebook Page!
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Stay in touch with DLSP in your area
If you would like to know when the DLSP’s Legal Officer is visiting your community, please visit our Facebook Page or join our mailing list to receive email updates.
Contact us directly
To get in contact with the BCLP’s Legal Officer, please contact:
Email: [email protected]
Mobile: 0428 066 958
Office: 1300 850 650
Contact Us
Legal services are provided by appointment. If you would like to make an appointment to consult with a solicitor at any of our offices (including our outreach offices) see below:
Christies Beach Head Office
Office Hours: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday
on (08) 8384 5222 or toll free 1300 850 650
Mount Gambier Head Office
Office Hours: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday
On (08) 8723 1396 or toll free 1300 850 650
Berri Head Office
Office Hours: 9.00 am to 5.00 pm Monday to Friday
On (08) 8582 4998 or toll free 1300 850 650