Public Interest Law Clearing House - New South Wales, our work

Public Events

PILCH NSW organises public events for the benefit of members and stakeholder organisations.
PILCH NSW also holds public events to raise awareness about specific public interest issues within the community and the pro bono sector. Events include public seminars, movie nights and large fundraising initiatives. Law Walk
PILCH Law Walk for Justice, is an national event raising funds for all PILCH organisations in Australia.

Services for Community Legal Centres

PILCH NSW members provide a range of services for CLCs. These include legal advice, access to training facilities, venues, publications support and pro bono referral of cases beyond a centre's capacity. This practical help enables CLCs to use more of their limited resources helping people.

Predatory Lending Project

Poor lending standards and deliberate targeting of vulnerable people by unscrupulous credit providers is a significant issue of public concern. PILCH NSW is coordinating the efforts of its membership to assist affected consumers and lobby for law reform in conjunction with Consumer Credit Legal Centre NSW, and Legal Aid.

Homeless Persons' Legal Service (HPLS)

HPLS is an outreach based model which operates at nine welfare agencies around Sydney. PILCH NSW member law firms and Legal Aid NSW provide volunteer lawyers to HPLS and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre employs a policy officer, court advocate and coordinator. Since its inception in 2004, HPLS lawyers have provided over 15,000 hours of pro bono advice to clients.

Stolen Wages of the Stolen Generations

For most of the twentieth century, aboriginal children and young people in NSW came under the control of the Aborigine Protection Board/Aboriginal Welfare Board. Many were part of the Stolen Generations. The Board placed the children and young people in employment and managed wages earned by retaining a portion in a statutory trust fund.

The trust fund faced a number of problems including poor administration, internal fraud and poor record keeping. Furthermore, when the trust fund regime came to an end in 1969, monies outstanding were not distributed.

Following pressure from the community, including by the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, the NSW Government established and ex-gratis compensation scheme to enable the payment of monies improperly held in or distributed out of the trust accounts. There are thousands of potential claimants.

PILCH NSW Member law firms and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre are assisting a large number of claimants to bring their cases forward.
PILCH NSW, its Members and the Public Interest Advocacy Centre are working together to make representations to the Government to improve the repayment scheme.
PILCH NSW is working in the commuity to raise awareness of the scheme and to encourage claims to be made.

Cooperative Work & Projects

As a peak body, PILCH NSW identifies emerging and important issues that affect the broader community. PILCH NSW also works in partnership with Community Legal Centres, Government Agencies, not-for-profit organisations and law schools to address emerging issues of unmet legal need.

PILCH NSW members are provided opportunities to work collectively on these important issues. For example, working in conjunction with several agencies PILCH NSW coordinates services and projects in which members have the opportunity to participate such as the Homeless Persons' Legal Service (see above).

Projects coordinated by PILCH NSW aim to address systemic problems which require redress for the public good. Members assist with advocacy and in shaping proposals for law reform.