Our Mission

Providing Free Legal Advice to marginalised people in our Community

Are you having difficulty in accessing legal services?

The Toongabbie Legal Centre may be able to assist you.

Serving the Community

The Mission of TLC is to provide legal assistance and advice to culturally, socially and economically disadvantaged persons in the Toongabbie and surrounding areas of Western Sydney who are unable to seek the help of commercial lawyers, or who have difficulty in accessing legal services.

Over recent years, a small group of solicitors and other professionals based in Western Sydney had become more aware of the need for increased access to legal services in their area. Responding to this need, they have joined together to launch a community Legal Centre in Toongabbie. The initiative started with a small meeting in Toongabbie during November 2005.  A series of meetings followed.

On 25th  November 2006, the Steering Committee conducted a Consultation within the community regarding the need for such a centre and the nature of the potential issues faced by those who might use such a centre.

The outcomes of this Consultation shaped the decision to offer services that could be accessed typically by the following groups of community members:

  • migrants, especially women and children
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
  • refugees and those on humanitarian visas
  • those with financial constraints
  • needy youth
  • non-English speaking
  • unemployed
  • recently-arrived migrants and international students
  • those affected by issues related to employment, compensation

TLC exercises its mission through Service in:

  • legal advice
  • information
  • arranging referrals to other relevant bodies or to individual legal practices or other services
  • advocacy work in respect of policies and legislation relevant to the client group
  • contributing to law reform processes
  • community legal education and on-going consultation with local communities.

Priority is given to clients from the target groups within the Toongabbie and surrounding suburbs.

The Centre was established on 17th March 2007. After a day-long Training and Induction for all volunteers on 6 October 2007, TLC commenced services on 13 October 2007. TLC held its second Training and Induction on 29 August 2009. TLC has continued to hold training and induction for volunteers as required.