ABOUT US

In 1993, the Australian Law Reform Commission held an inquiry into Equality Before the Law and identified many issues relating to women’s inequality.  Many individual women and women’s services in the ACT made submissions.

In 1994, the Commission released its interim report, Before the Law: Women’s Access to the Legal System, which included recommendations for the funding of a women’s legal service in each State and Territory.  This report was followed by the final reports, Equality Before the Law: Justice for Women, Parts 1 and 2, which elaborated onthe earlier recommendation to establish community based women’s legal services.

In 1995, the Commonwealth government announced funding for women’s legal services in a number of locations, including the Canberra region.  Sistertrust ACT Inc, a non-profit community based organisation providing financial and mentoring support to women in the ACT, assisted a group of women to apply for funding to establish a women’s legal centre in the Canberra region.   This group incorporated as the Women’s Legal Centre (ACT & Region) Inc on 13 November 2005 and received Commonwealth government funding in the same month. The Centre was officially opened on 8 July 1996.

The Centre is governed by a Management Committee which consists of 11 women including 2 staff representatives and 2 co-opted members, who meet every 6 weeks.  The women represent a broad cross-section of the community, including women from Indigenous and culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.  The 7 non-staff and non-coopted members of the committee are elected at the Annual General Meeting. 

The membership of the Centre is open to women and organisations, which support the objects of the Centre and are approved by the Committee. 

To apply for membership, contact the centre on 6257 4377.