By MARLENE MILLOTT
VICTORIAN Australian of the Year and family violence campaigner Rosie Batty has spoken out in support of the Yarra Ranges branch of the Eastern Community Legal Centre (ECLC), which is facing possible service cuts following Federal cuts to funding.
At the ECLC’s annual general meeting on Tuesday 18 November, Ms Batty said it was “disappointing” to hear about the cuts to the Yarra Ranges ECLC, in Healesville.
She said that accessible legal services were vital to vulnerable people in the community.
“Access to legal support and advice has to be accessible to the everyday person in the local communities because ultimately professional legal systems are just outside a lot of people’s reach,” she said.
At the AGM the organisation reported that since opening in February, the Yarra Ranges Centre had helped over 300 people. Of these, 47 per cent were for matters regarding family violence.
For the full story, see next week’s Mail.
