Disaster Legal Support provides free legal help to South Australians impacted or at risk of natural disasters.

WHAT WE DO

Free Legal Help & Education for South Australians Impacted by Disasters.

We aim to support South Australian individuals, small business and primary producers at all stages of the Disaster Management Cycle. To help communities build resilience and Prepare for disasters, we provide free Community Legal Education and advice on legal issues like insurance, wills, estate planning, Advance Care Directives and more.

In the event of a disaster, our solicitors and support staff are deployed as “boots on the ground,” to assist with Response and Recovery, providing free legal assistance and warm referrals to other allied and essential support services via local outreach, remote appointments and Recovery Centres. In the Recovery stage, we can continue to offer legal advice, and tailored community legal education, particularly around insurance claims and disputes.

Connecting with Local Knowledge

Our solicitors and support staff regularly travel within SA to attend local events, listen and contribute at disaster planning and recovery meetings and build relationships with the State’s disaster management stakeholders.

Our aim is to keep up to date with the unique needs and concerns of locals, learn from emergency services and other emergency management experts and make genuine and lasting connections to disaster-impacted communities across South Australia.

Contact DLSP today.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Upcoming Events

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GET IN TOUCH

Contact DLSP

DLSP Coordinator & Solicitor

Office: 1300 850 650

[email protected]

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CURRENT RECOVERY EFFORTS

Help for Communities Impacted by the River Murray floods.

Disaster Legal Support Program is providing Free Legal Help and Community Legal Education for South Australians affected by the 2022/2023 River Murray 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 Legal Advice

Community members impacted by the floods can contact us to book a free legal advice appointment by calling Community Justice intake on 1300 850 650. Legal advice appointments are available to individuals, small business and primary producers, regardless of your income or assets.

Free Community Legal Education Sessions

Disaster Legal Support Program and Community Justice presents free community legal education sessions, including on Insurance. Click here to view upcoming events or sign up to the mailing list for updates.

For more information or to organise a free community legal education session for your community, contact [email protected] or 1300 850 650.

RESOURCES

Who to Contact for Help.

State Relief and Recovery Information Line

Open Mon-Fri, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Message bank service open Saturday and Sunday with return calls made on weekdays

Phone 1800 302 787

Recovery SA Website

Web www.recovery.sa.gov.au/active-recoveries/river-murray-flood

Disaster Legal Support Program

Book a free legal advice appointment, or find out more about hosting community legal education.

Phone: 1300 850 650
[email protected]

Riverland Community Justice Centre

Phone (08) 8582 4998
9 Kay Avenue, Berri 5343
[email protected]


Berri Recovery Centre

Mon – Fri, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Housing SA: 29 Vaughan Terrace, Berri

Mannum Recovery Centre

Tues, Wed and Thur, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
Mannum Institute, 47 Randell Street, Mannum

Murray Bridge Recovery Centre

Mon to Fri, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Closed Sat-Sun)
28 Bridge Street, Murray Bridge

RESOURCES

Useful Websites & Factsheets

Recovery SA: River Murray Flood

The State Government’s Recovery information website.

Community E-Newsletter

Subscribe to the River Murray Flood Community Newsletter and view previous editions.

5 Key Insurance Tips for Floods

How to be best prepared for a flood, or to navigate an insurance claim after the event.

Key Insurance Tips for Disasters

How to be best prepared for a disaster, or to navigate an insurance claim

Replacing Important Documents

How to replace your important documents in the event of a disaster

The AFCA Complaint resolution process

How the Australian Financial Complaints Authority can assist you in resolving a dispute with your insurance company.

WHAT WE DO

Our Experience, From Fires to Floods.

DLSP represents the expansion of the Bushfire Community Legal Program, an award-winning service that assisted communities in Kangaroo Island, Yorketown, and Adelaide Hills communities in the wake of the devastating Black Summer bushfires.

Help for South Australian communities impacted by the River Murray Floods

Since the start of the River Murray floods in 2022, DLSP has been actively involved to assist individuals, small business and primary producers impacted by the floods with their legal (and sometimes non-legal) issues and concerns. When the floodwaters rose and the disaster began, a dedicated solicitor (and Riverland local) attended the Berri Relief Centre on a daily basis, assisting locals with a popup legal outreach service.

Have you been impacted by the floods and need free legal help? Click here or call 1300 850 650 to find out how we can help.

As the recovery efforts continue, DLSP solicitors are available now to provide free legal advice and Community Legal Education (on request) on a wide range of law; including insurance, financial and civil disputes, family law, wills and estates and criminal law.

Contact DLSP at [email protected] for more information about Community Legal Education.

DISASTER LEGAL SUPPORT PROGRAM

Community Legal Education

Community groups and Councils can request free Community Legal Education (‘CLE’) sessions for locals in high-risk and disaster impacted areas.

All we need is a suitable space (like a meeting room, hall or club room) that can accommodate a minimum of 15 attendees, and a captive audience. These sessions can also be done as a collaboration with local Emergency Services personnel, Fire Prevention Officers or Council Resilience Programs on request.

Our CLE sessions are interactive, engaging and include a Q & A with a solicitor. We are currently offering the following CLE (other legal topics may be presented on request):

A Crash Course in Insurance

Insurance law basics
Understanding your policy
Lodging and negotiating insurance claims
Complaints and disputes

Key Insurance Tips for Floods

Understand your policy
Flood insurance and claims
Lodging and negotiating claims
Complaints and disputes

Wills, Estates and Advance Care Directives

Enduring power of attorney
Advance Care Directives
Wills & Estates

Contact DLSP on 1300 850 650 or send an email to [email protected] to find out more, or to organise a CLE session for your community.

CONNECTIONS

Emergency Services, NGO & Government Collaborations

DLSP has built lasting connections and collaborated with key Emergency Services, Local, State and Federal Government, and NGOs throughout South Australia, including CFS, SASES, Red Cross, Housing SA, SAFECOM & NEMA.

We are always on the look out for collaboration opportunities.

We can present Community Legal Education (CLE) alongside Emergency Services and engagement officers at disaster-readiness sessions, speak at wellness and resilience workshops or provide practical information and resources for emergency preparedness kits, or to be distributed to community members.

We also engage directly with Councils, and can run standalone CLE sessions or integrate DLSP presentations and resources into existing Council-led programs or events.

Sector education and information for Emergency Services Officers, Local Government and allied community service providers can also be organised on request.

For more information or to discuss how we could work together, reach out to DLSP on 1300 850 650 or send an email to [email protected].

CONTACT

Contact Disaster Legal Support

For Community Legal Education

Community groups, Community Champions and Councils can request free Community Legal Education (‘CLE’) sessions for local residents. Contact [email protected] to find out more.

All we need is a suitable space (like a meeting room, hall or club room) that can accommodate a minimum of 15 attendees, and a captive audience.

These sessions can be done as a collaboration with local Emergency Services personnel, Fire Prevention Officers or Council Resilience Programs on request.

We are currently offering the following CLE (other legal topics may be presented on request):

For Free Legal Help

South Australians impacted by a disaster can request a free legal advice appointment by contacting Community Justice intake on:

State-wide (toll-free)
1300 850 650

Southern Region (local)
(08) 8384 5222

Riverland (local)
(08) 8582 4998

Jacqui Nuske

DLSP Coordinator & Solicitor

Office: 1300 850 650

[email protected]

Riverland Community Justice Centre

Berri: (08) 8582 4998

[email protected]

Connect with Disaster Legal Support Program