Citizen Tasmania, in partnership with the Tasmanian Refugee Legal Service, is delivering the first dedicated family reunification legal service in Australia as a pilot project to provide ongoing legal advice and legal education to Tasmanian residents separated from their families by war and conflict, with the aim of bringing Tasmanian families together.
As part of this partnership, Citizen Tasmania provides community legal education sessions through a series of online videos and workshops for newly arrived refugee and migrant persons across Tasmania. These workshops will concentrate on family reunification and domestic and family violence where the violence may affect the applicant’s migration status.
This project aims to facilitate better-supported resettlement into Australian society by working to close the knowledge gap regarding legal information and legal aid. Given the unique experience of many refugees fleeing prosecution and life-threatening situations, the importance of creating an awareness of political and personal safety through education on human rights and legal systems in Australia is typically ignored.
Through this program, Citizen Tasmania and the Tasmania Refugee Legal Service will reduce barriers that stand between access to justice or the exercise of legal rights, to ensure that Tasmanians from refugee, migrant and asylum-seeking backgrounds have the knowledge, skills, support and empowerment to enforce their legal rights and have an enhanced sense of safety.
Through Community Legal Education, Citizen aims to ensure that newly arrived migrants and refugee persons have informed access to justice and a means to keep themselves and their families safe and together in the face of adversities.
Access the Community Legal Education videos
Watch Community Legal Education from Citizen Tasmania on Vimeo.