You can view our Annual Report for the period 1 July 2023 – 30 June 2024 here: Annual Report 2024.

During the financial year we delivered 6,786 services, which included:

– providing advice and/or casework assistance to 1,192 clients
– providing 4,513 referrals to additional service providers that may be able to help
– providing 1,676 legal advices by a solicitor
– performing 89 legal tasks, such as drafting letters or court documents
– providing 195 Domestic and Family Violence Duty Lawyer services
– opening 33 and closing 26 cases, mostly by providing representation in the Mental Health Review Tribunal
– delivering 14 community legal education presentations
– creating 3 community legal education resources

Our clients:

– 68% were female
– 29% identified as having a disability
– 14% identified as First Nations
– 88.5% earned less than $52,000 a year

The MRCLC is proud to have our Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan endorsed by Reconcilation Australia. You can find our 2 year RAP on their website by clicking here.

We will have an official launch of our RAP at 12:30pm on Wednesday 15 May 2024.

MRCLC Innovate RAP

Our Annual Report 2023 summarises the work we have undertaken this past financial year.

Snapshot from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023:

Clients

• 1,122 clients (legal advice and/or ongoing assistance)
• 81% of clients earn less than $52,000
• 69% of clients are female
• 35% of clients are over 50
• 31% (350) have a disability and/or a mental illness
• 11% (125) clients identify as First Nations

Services

• 1,658 legal advices
• 108 legal tasks
• 186 domestic and family violence duty lawyer services at the Mackay Magistrates Court
• 43 ongoing casework matters

Youpla Group Funeral Benefits Program

The Youpla Group, also called the Aboriginal Community Benefit Fund, collapsed earlier this year.

The Australian Government has started the Youpla Group Funeral Benefits Program to help the families of fund members affected by the collapse. This will help the families of fund members’ conduct Sorry Business with dignity. Information about this program can be found here: https://treasury.gov.au/youpla.  The information below is from the Australian Government’s website.

Eligibility

The Program will pay a funeral benefit for a person who has passed away that was a Youpla Group fund member on or after 1 April 2020. If the member’s funeral was already paid for, you can still make an application.

The Program will pay the cover limit of the member’s Youpla Group policy.

This Program is not a compensation scheme. The Program will only pay a funeral benefit for a member who has passed away.

If you are not the person named as the payee on the Youpla Group or Aboriginal Community Benefit Fund policy, but need to make an application, we will contact you to help us to work out if you should be the person paid by the program.

Make an application

You can make an application if you have a loved one who has passed away who had a Youpla funeral expenses policy on or after 1 April 2020.

You can make an application up to 30 November 2023.

The Australian Government will pay an amount up to the cover limit in the fund member’s policy.

Our Annual Report summarises the work we have undertaken this past financial year.

Snapshot from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022:

Clients

• 1,154 clients (legal advice and/or ongoing assistance)
• 81.3% of clients earn less than $52,000
• 69.3% of clients are female
• 35% of clients over 50
• 28% (321) have a disability and/or mental illness
• 10.9% (126) of clients identify as First Nations

Services

• 1,590 legal advices
• 121 legal tasks
• 160 domestic and family violence duty lawyer services at the Mackay Magistrates Court
• 35 ongoing casework matters

Jessica delivered a presentation on family law (parenting and financial matters), divorce and domestic violence to staff of Whitsunday Counselling and Support in Cannonvale on 14 December 2021. The slides are available here: Family Law and Domestic Violence.

Dividing Fences

Solicitor Simone Butschle presented the Community Legal Education session on Dividing Fences to Queensland Dispute Resolution Centre mediators on 12 November 2021.

MRCLC Annual Report 2021

You can read all about our Centre, and the services and programs we offer in this year’s Annual Report.  Check it out!

This is a powerpoint presentation delivered by a solicitor on Queensland residential tenancy law. It provides information about the law on starting a tenancy, rights and obligations during a tenancy and how a tenancy can be ended. It also includes information about the temporary arrangements due to COVID and domestic violence. Please click here to view the presentation.