New legal service for LGBTQIA+ community in New South Wales

The  NSW Government has announced the creation of an LGBTQIA+ Legal Services Hub, the first statewide LGBTQIA+ legal service, which will be operated by the Inner City Legal Centre.  

The National Access to Justice Partnership guaranteed $800,000 a year for the next four years for the hub to run in a new location in the Sydney Area. 

Attorney General of New South Wales, Michael Daley, said “The NSW Government is proud to support the establishment of the state’s first dedicated LGBTQIA+ legal service to provide specialist advice and support of the LGBTQIA+
community.” 

“We know stigma and discrimination can make it harder for people who are queer or gender diverse to access legal advice and support for sexual, family and domestic violence as well as discrimination and vilification.” 

The service will provide specialist criminal, family and civil legal advice as well as respond to needs in regional and remote areas. 

“We warmly welcome this investment in a specialist LGBTQIA+ Legal Service for NSW, joining Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania in providing safe and culturally informed legal services for our communities.” Said Katie Green, Inner City Legal Centre CEO. 

Established in the 1980s, in the heart of Darlinghurst, an area of Sydney with a long connection to the LGBTQIA+ community, the Inner City Legal Centre has worked with the community for the past four decades. 

“We recognise that the LGBTQIA+ community do not only congregate in the inner city. They live right across NSW and deserve access to justice wherever they are. This investment will see that happen,” Green explained. 

“With additional support from the City of Sydney, we will be moving to larger premises to accommodate the expansion of the LGBTQIA+ Service and will be proudly displaying all of the colours of our rainbow in that space to welcome in all of the wonderful diversity of our community and its members.”