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Law - Children
Child Rights
Celebrating the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CROC)
CROC is a United Nations agreement that sets out the rights of all the children and young people of the world. Countries that
sign CROC are promising to protect the human rights of children and young people. Australia signed up in 1990, to protect the rights
of all Australian children. Find out about
CROC.
Issues covered in the document include:
your right to have a say,
your parents,
discrimination,
education.
Click here to read a full summary of the major issues covered by each article of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Law - Education
Becoming a Lawyer
Law - Kits
De Facto Agreement
Co-Habitation Agreements are agreements made between people who are living together and who are NOT married, nor do they intend
to get married. Property disputes in these circumstances fall outside the Family Law Act and are dealt with under State law. Resolving
disputes in this way can be a time consuming and very expensive process. Write your own agreement now to help resolve any dispute which
may arise in the future by purchasing an AussieLegal
Co-Habitation Agreement - De Facto Kit for
$89.95. The Kit can help both parties resolve a property
dispute without going to court; allow you to quickly and easily document your individual assets and give you background knowledge of the law.
Family Law Kit
Relationship break-ups for most people are very stressful and often confusing. Money can be wasted in legal fees, especially
when you don't understand the legal process. By purchasing an AussieLegal
Family Law Kit. For only $49.95, you could save time and money, get peace of mind and regain some control.
The Kit uses easy to read information about divorce, separation agreements, child custody & access, property settlement and spousal maintenance.
The AussieLegal Family Law Kit can help you get a better understanding of the law and legal process; better understand what your lawyer is doing;
ask your lawyer and ex-partner the right questions; make informed decisions, negotiate; brief your lawyer; save you time in front of your lawyer;
and save you hundreds or thousands of dollars in legal fees.
Pre Nuptial Agreement
Pre-Nuptial Agreements are agreements made between people who are living together and who intend to get married. The agreement is designed to help people decide
how to deal with each other both during the marriage and in the event of a separation at least so far as financial matters are concerned. An AussieLegal
Pre Nuptial Agreement
for only $89.95
contains easy to read information and includes background information on the law, instructions for preparing and executing an agreement, a checklist, and
a detailed draft Pre Nuptial Agreement which can be edited. The Kit allows you to quickly and easily document your individual assets; provides background knowledge of the law;
helps to resolve any future financial dispute; gives you peace of mind and saves you hundreds or even thousands of dollars in legal fees.
Will Kits
Roughly half of all
Australian's die without leaving a valid, legal Will (intestate). If a person
dies intestate, rules contained in legislation will decide how your assets are
distributed taking into account your family situation. The government may also
decide who looks after your children if they are still minors. Put your mind at
ease by purchasing an AussieLegal
Will Kit
at a cost of $29.95, which will provide you with all you need to write and execute a Will for yourself and your partner. The Kit contains
a list of easy-to-follow steps to write your Will, an explanation of the law, 5 examples of completed Wills, 5 blank Wills to choose from and detailed instructions on how
to execute your Will. The AussieLegal Making a Will Kit will help you understand your legal position; ensure your assets will go to the people you choose and ensure your
children will be looked after the way you want.
Law - Services
Child and Family Services
Child and Family Services is committed to providing support and accommodation to children and families in times of crisis or
major change. They provide accommodation for children who are in need of substitute care. Many
services are offered including Accommodation services,
Family centred services and Youth & Community services, with clients' best interests foremost at all times. For more information
contact
Child and Family Services Ballarat.
Who can use a Legal Centre? Legal Centres operate in different ways, most offer services only to people who live in their geographic area.
What can a Legal Centre do for me? Again, this depends on the individual centre. Some give advice over the phone, some offer services by appointment.
What staff do Legal Centres have? Legal Centres have legal and non-legal volunteers, as well as paid staff. Keep in mind that most centres are largely staffed by volunteers, have very limited resources and can be quite hectic and busy.
Central Highlands Community Legal Centre
Ludbrook House
115 Lydiard St Nth, Ballarat 3350
Telephone:(03) 5331 5999. Facsimile:(03) 5331 8239
Discrimination
Everyone has the right to a fair go. The
Equal
Opportunity Act 1995 (Vic) and Federal Anti-discrimination laws protect your rights, regardless of your age, race etc. It is against
the law in Victoria for anyone to discriminate against you. Do you need advice? The EOC can explain your
rights,
your
responsibilities,
or any other
information you need to know about discrimination or
harassment issues.
Domestic Violence
The most common form of assault in Australia is "Domestic Violence", claiming the lives of between 30 - 40 women or children each year.
Domestic Violence includes physical abuse, mental torture, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, social deprivation, public humiliation, verbal
assaults and financial control. There are many
myths that surround
Domestic Violence, making it one of the most under reported crimes.
"WRISC" (WOMEN'S RESOURCE INFORMATION AND SUPPORT CENTRE) is an organisation that provides
personal support for women and children,
support groups for survivors of domestic violence,
offer a domestic violence
outreach service and
participate in local
networks and services.
Family Assistance Office
Family Assistance contributes to stronger families by
helping support families through income supplements to assist with the cost of
children, and at the birth of a child and helping support and strengthen
families through services to enhance family relationships and lower the
incidence of family breakdown, including parent education to prevent child
abuse.
Services provided for families include family relationship services; parenting
education programs; early intervention services to young people and families
experiencing conflict; support for young adolescents and their families where
the young people are at risk of destructive or self-destructive behaviours;
financial assistance for families with children and policy advice, research and
service management related to providing services for families.
You can call the Family Assistance Office
for the cost of a local call on 13 61 50.
Legal assistance: Legal assistance is where Victoria Legal Aid pays a lawyer to do legal work for you. The lawyer may be a private lawyer, your own lawyer or a legal aid lawyer. Legal assistance could include a lawyer providing ongoing legal advice, negotiating with another person, preparing legal documents, representing you in court. Legal assistance is only provided in some areas of law, mainly Criminal, Family and Civil matters. Victoria Legal Aid has guidelines that outline where grants of legal assistance can be made. If you are not sure if you qualify for legal assistance, get legal advice.
Legal advice: Victoria Legal Aid provides up to one hour of free legal advice at Victoria Legal Aid offices, prisons and other institutions, on the telephone or in person. Legal advice may include help to fill in a legal aid application, telephone calls, writing letters, or drafting documents.
Duty lawyer services: Duty Lawyers provide free advice and representation at court. Duty lawyers are available at most Magistrates' Courts, Melbourne Family Court and all Children's Courts. Duty lawyers may speak for you in court, however they have to give priority to people in custody and serious cases. They will not be able to help everyone.
Education services: Victoria Legal Aid provide education material to inform the community about their legal rights and responsibilities. These include seminars for community workers, workshops for the public, and a range of free legal publications. Most publications are available on the Victoria Legal Aid website.
Ballarat Police Station
20 Dana Street, Ballarat 3350
Telephone:(03) 5336 6000. Facsimile:(03) 5336 6033.
Sexual Assault / Harassment
Sexual assault is a serious problem in our society. Sexual assault is any behaviour of a sexual nature that makes you feel uncomfortable, frightened,
intimidated & that you have not agreed to. There are many
myths about sexual assault,
and victims often feel embarrassed or ashamed to come forward and report this crime. If you are, or have been a victim and would like to speak to someone about it,
contact
CASA (Centres Against Sexual Assault). CASA provides a specialist support, advice
and counselling service for all victims of sexual assault, male and female,
adults and children.
It is illegal to
"sexually harass" another person, regardless
of their gender or sexual orientation, as set out under the "Victorian Equal Opportunities Act 1995". Sexual harassment is behaviour of a sexual nature that is unwelcome,
unasked for and unreturned. Sexual harassment can be written, verbal or physical, and come in many different forms. If you are experiencing difficulties, or just need
more information contact the
Equal Opportunities Commission.
Law -
TermsBarrister: A litigation specialist; a lawyer that restricts his or her practice to the court room. In England and some other Commonwealth jurisdictions, a legal distinction is made between barristers and solicitors, the latter with exclusive privileges of advising clients, providing legal advice, and the former with exclusive privileges of appearing in a court on behalf of a client. In other words, solicitors don't appear in court on a client's behalf and barristers don't give legal advice to clients. In England, barristers and solicitors work as a team: the solicitor would typically make the first contact with a client and if the issue cannot be resolved and proceeds to trial, the solicitor would transfer the case to a barrister for the duration of the litigation.
Civil law: Law inspired by old Roman Law, the primary feature of which was that laws were written into a collection; codified, and not determined, as is common law, by judges. The principle of civil law is to provide all citizens with an accessible and written collection of the laws which apply to them and which judges must follow.
Criminal law: That body of the law that deals with conduct considered so harmful to society as a whole that it is prohibited by statute, prosecuted
and punished by the government.