We give free, independent legal advice to:
- people with disability
- their families
- carers
- supporters and
- advocates.
Call us on 1800 771 800 (free call) Monday to Friday from 9:15am to 5:15pm (AEDT) or contact us online.
We will listen to you, and explain how you can tell your story to the Royal Commission.
If you need legal advice, we'll take your details and arrange for you to talk to a lawyer to get legal advice.
We will also be able to make referrals to counselling and other support services.
Not everyone will need legal advice to engage with the Royal Commission.
You may need legal advice if:
- you want to name a person or organisation in your submission.
- there are restrictions on telling your story to the Royal Commission, for example a confidentiality or non-disclosure agreement
- you are worried about the impact of telling your story on you (or someone else’s) safety, access to services, employment or rights.
Getting legal advice
Waiting for legal advice to engage with the Royal Commission can be frustrating. We will contact you as soon as we can to give you advice. We aim to give you legal advice before the public hearing that is relevant to you.
You can get legal advice:
- over the phone
- by skype or videoconference
- face-to-face where possible.
What happens at the legal advice session?
The lawyer will talk to you about your legal rights and how you can engage with the Royal Commission. This may include by:
- making a submission
- participating in a community forum
- providing evidence at a hearing
- sharing information about your experiences at a private session.
We can only give legal advice about individual matters.
We can't help organisations (e.g. advocacy groups, non-government organisations and residential facilities).
We can't help people appearing on behalf of an organisation.
We will set aside time to speak with you about your situation and give you the legal advice you need. If you need more time after this, we will make another appointment with you.
Preparing your submission
We can't prepare your submission for you. Disability advocates may be able to help you to write or record your submission. If there is a complicated legal issue we may review your draft submission.
Need extra help?
Read about the counselling and other support services available if you need them.