See also getting help
Someone to tell you your rights or help you complain
Legal Aid Hotline for Under 18s
free confidential legal advice over the phone - under 18s can ring the NSW Legal Aid Hotline for Under 18s (open nights and weekends too).
1800 10 18 10
A youth worker in your area (NSW)
Contact a youth worker in your area by looking up your local council area in the list here, and asking the contact person for a youth worker who can assist you.
Women's Legal Resources Centre
Provides: telephone advice, referral to sympathetic solicitors and services, legal information, workshops on legal issues for women, training for community workers, critiques and advocacy about how the law affects women. Gives priority to: disadvantaged women, Aboriginal women, NESB women, women with disabilities, rural women. www.womenslegalnsw.asn.au
- Telephone advice line: ( 02) 9749 5533
- Rural free call line: 1800 801 501
- Typewriter for deaf women: 1800 674 333
- Aboriginal women's free call line: 1800 639 784
Koori women
Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women's Legal Advice Centre
Freecall: 1800 686 587 or (02) 9569 3847
Koori people
list of Aboriginal legal services - find your closest one
LawStuff
National Children's and Youth Law Centre: find out anything you need to know about young people and the law
www.lawstuff.org.au
Shopfront Youth Legal Centre
A free legal service for homeless and disadvantaged young people aged 25 and under, at 356 Victoria Street, Darlinghurst (inner-city Sydney) - can help people anywhere in NSW. (02) 9360 1847, shopfront@freehills.com.au
www.theshopfront.org
LawAccess NSW
A free government service that provides help to people with a legal problem or query. 1300 888 529
www.lawaccess.nsw.gov.au
Tenants Advice
Tenants Advice has all you need to know about your rights as a tenant and your obligations
www.tenants.org.au
Anti Discrimination Board
NSW agency which deals with discrimination issues.
www.lawlink.nsw.gov.au/adb
Legal info on the net
Redfern Legal Centre
search for info on just about any legal issue here
www.rlc.org.au
LawAccess NSW
A free government service that provides legal resources
www.lawaccess.nsw.gov.au
Legal Aid
The official site for legal aid also includes the streetsmart guide on legal rights for young people
www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au
legislation (Acts of Parliament)
All NSW and Commonwealth (Federal Government) legislation (Acts of Parliament)
www.austlii.edu.au
your rights with NSW railway Transit Officers
Transit Officers, from Youth Justice: your guide to cops and court in NSW
www.federationpress.com.au/pdf/Transit%20Officers.pdf (152KB PDF)
your rights with NSW Police
Get Street Smart: street rights for under 18s in NSW
www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/asp/index.asp?pgid=507
Shopfront Youth Legal Centre www.theshopfront.org/16.html has 2 fact sheets:
- Police Powers and Your Rights
- Police Move-On Directions
Lawstuff
National Children's & Youth Law Centre
www.lawstuff.org.au then select "NSW" + "LAW TOPICS"
Youth Justice: your guide to cops and court in NSW
A book in most council libraries with heaps about the law for ordinary people
www.federationpress.com.au/bookstore/book.asp?isbn=1862874794
your rights with private security guards
Get Street Smart: street rights for under 18s in NSW
www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/asp/index.asp?pgid=507
Whose security? Security officers and young people
YAPA fact sheet for young people
You're banned! Shopping centres, banning notices and young people
YAPA fact sheet for young people & youth workers
Youth Justice: your guide to cops and court in NSW
A book in most council libraries with heaps about the law for ordinary people
www.federationpress.com.au/bookstore/book.asp?isbn=1862874794
Make a complaint
Make an official complaint
-
About police: Contact your NSW Police Local Area Command (see your phone book), and ask to make an official complaint. Or you can contact the NSW Ombudsman (below).
-
About NSW railway staff: Contact RailCorp directly at
www.131500.com.au/customerservice/feedback/train.asp or phone 131500 to say something about any RailCorp staff. Or you can contact the NSW Ombudsman (below). -
About private security guards: Contact the Security Industry Registry on 1300 362 001 to say something about private security guards employed by security companies. Or you can contact the company that employs the security guard, which should be listed in your local phone book.
NSW Ombudsman
The NSW Ombudsman promotes the rights and best interests of consumers of government agencies and some non-government community services. If you think you have been unfairly treated by one of these agencies, such as the NSW Police, RailCorp, a government school, or one of their employees, you can complain directly to the agency or to the Ombudsman. When you complain to the Ombudsman, your complaint is investigated and the police/officials are told that you complained (so that they can tell their side of the story).
Get help with making your complaint formal by talking to the Ombudsman's Youth Liaison Officer, Mandy, on (02) 9286 1000 or visiting www.ombo.nsw.gov.au/youth.html .
There is also:
- an online complaint form for young people at
www.ombo.nsw.gov.au/complaints/onlinecomplaintform.html - a fact sheet for people working with young people at
http://www.ombo.nsw.gov.au/publication/
PDF/factsheets/FactSheet_Police_WorkingWithYouth.pdf.
