Grant projects

Grant projects

2011/12 | 2010/11

2011/12 Grant projects

The following grants were announced in the Foundation's first round of General Grants for 2011/12. For more information, download: Media release (PDF - 168 KB)

Community Radio Federation (3CR)

Beyond the Bars 2012 - $15,957
3CR has received funding for a live radio show broadcast from inside Victorian prisons that will give a voice to incarcerated Indigenous men and women to discuss issues surrounding justice and the legal system. This annual program has been running since 2002 and gives voice to 100 Indigenous inmates at various prisons in Victoria. In 2012, Beyond the Bars will focus on the topic of access to justice, and will be broadcast live, 12 hours a day, during NAIDOC week.

coroners court of victoria

Virtual interactive tour - $45,100
The Coroners Court of Victoria is the first specialist inquisitorial court in Australia. It investigates around 5000 reportable deaths in Victoria each year. This project will allow Victorians to take a virtual interactive tour of the court, helping them to better understand the court’s unique inquisitorial jurisdiction and the coronial process. In particular, the accessible and interactivenature of this project will help the court to better communicate with people who are dealing with grief.

Housing for the aged action group inc (haag)

Caravan and residential parks residents committee project - $31,482
Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) is a not-for-profit member-based organisation which offers free and confidential advice to vulnerable and disadvantaged older people. This project aims to empower older people, who are disproportionately represented among caravan parks residents, by providing them with practical information about the law. In particular, it aims to educate residents across Victoria of their right to establish a residents’ committee, which was recently been legislated through the Residential Tenancies Act 1997 (Vic).

Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service Cooperative Ltd (VALS)

Community legal education: Empowering community - $35,000
VALS is an Aboriginal community-controlled organisation that provides legal services to members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Victoria. This project will allow VALS to employ a community legal education officer to work on a number of projects, including resources to educate and inform the Shepparton community in the lead up to a proposed trial of income management in the area.

Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)

Virtual interactive experience - $27,820
VCAT is the largest tribunal in Australia. It deals with a range of disputes, including disputes relating to residential tenancies, civil claims, guardianship, and planning and environment. Access to information is critical for people who use VCAT’s services, particularly the large number of self-represented litigants. This project uses innovative technology to provide an online virtual experience for Victorians, helping them to better understand how the tribunal works and what to expect when they attend VCAT.

youthlaw

Community legal education pilot project - $46,378
Youthlaw is an independent specialist legal service for young people up to the age of 25. This project will allow Youthlaw to employ a community legal education coordinator to develop and pilot a series of workshops and resources to meet the specific legal information needs of young people. This will include a number of training sessions for legal professionals who help young people which will be filmed and shared on the Youthlaw website.

2010/11 grant projects

The following grants were announced in the Foundation's second round of General Grants for 2010/11. For more information, download: Media release (PDF - 46 KB)

EASTERN COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTRE
Clearer steps 2 safety – $34,267
To develop translated versions of Steps 2 Safety, a short intervention order video, in key community languages.

Endangered Pictures
Even girls play footy - $24,182
A documentary which examines the legal case fought by three Melbourne school girls who took Football Victoria to VCAT in 2003 to defend their right to play Australian Rules football.

Environment Defenders Office
Environmental justice project - $30,000
Project: development of the concept of ‘environmental justice’ as a principle for identifying unmet needs and developing appropriate and effective methods for meeting needs.

Footscray Community Legal Centre
Local councils, debts and vulnerable debtors – $16,304
To examine the reasons for high numbers of clients experiencing financial hardship who are sued by local councils for unpaid rates, and to recommend ways to reform local council debt collection practices.

Office of the Public Advocate
Making good enduring powers of attorney - $37,633
An online, personalised and interactive resource that will lead users through the important legal and personal questions that need to be engaged when execution of an enduring power of attorney is being considered.

Springvale Community Aid & Advice Bureau
For youth information: Stop & Search - $20,225
To implement a school-based, youth-led program allowing young people to develop multimedia educational resources for their peers on stop and search laws.