In Victoria’s High Country, the small town of Omeo seems rather disconnected from other parts of Gippsland. In terms of legal issues, however, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Residents of Omeo and the East Gippsland Shire experience higher rates of certain crimes than the rest of Victoria does. That’s why there’s a team of legal professionals who can provide assistance to Omeo residents, absolutely free of charge.
Gippsland Community Legal Service has helped many East Gippsland Shire residents with their legal quandaries, giving top quality legal advice without charge. If you’re in need of legal advice in Omeo, here are some of the areas of law with which GCLS can help:
Family violence
Family violence cases are taken extremely seriously at Gippsland Community Legal Service and, sadly, it’s one of the most common reasons why Omeo residents need our legal assistance.
The statistics on family violence in East Gippsland Shire prove a dire situation – one that needs all the help it can get.
The Victorian average of family violence incidents is 1364.7 per 100,000 people. In East Gippsland Shire, however, the rate of family violence incidents is 3400 per 100,000 people – two and a half times the Victorian average.
This also means that East Gippsland has the highest rate of family violence incidents in Victoria. This is why GCLS prioritises cases of family violence in Omeo and surrounding localities, using all of our resources to help resolve your situation.
On top of this, GCLS has strong connections with other, non-legal support services for family violence victims. It’s part of our job to connect you with these services in order to give you all the help that’s available.
Some of the services offered by GCLS to Omeo residents include:
Intervention order advice before Court
Duty lawyers who can provide advice, representation and referrals on the day you have to attend Court
In some cases, assistance for respondents to intervention orders
Help with legal problems beyond intervention orders, including tenancy, parenting plans, debts, fines, infringements and more.
Child support
Whether you are paying or receiving, child support payments are a major concern for people going through a separation or divorce with a child. In Australia, both parents have a responsibility to financially support their children after a separation or divorce.
Child support is an area of law in which Omeo residents commonly need help with. GCLS can assist you if you’re currently having problems pertaining to child support, including by guiding you through applications for child support.
Child support prove to be very stressful if one parent isn’t pulling their weight. Talk to GCLS today and learn what you can do to come to a fair arrangement.
Parenting plans
Parenting plans are another area of law which frequently affect Omeo locals. GCLS understands the stress involved when dealing with family legal issues such as parenting plans. Not only can this be an emotionally challenging time for parents, but also children, which increases the stress experienced by you.
GCLS are here to assist Omeo families who are experiencing family breakdown and assistance with arranging parenting plans.
Free legal advice is offered to Omeo residents who:
Want to make arrangements for the parenting of their children
Need to apply to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia for financial and/or parenting orders.
Australia’s family law system encourages families to agree on parenting plans without taking the matter to court. GCLS are determined to help you do this, avoiding the financial and mental burden of going to court.
Tenancy
Everybody deserves to live in a habitable, stable home. That’s why tenancy disputes can feel like such a heavy weight on our shoulders: they threaten your domestic stability.
If you’re experiencing a tenancy issue in Omeo, GCLS have helped many others in your shoes. Whether your rental provider has wrongly charged you for maintenance which is in fact their financial responsibility, or whether you’ve been handed a notice to vacate, GCLS can give you legal advice for issues surrounding tenancy.
GCLS also understands that tenancy issues frequently arise from other serious legal problems such as family violence, separation and financial abuse. If you’re experiencing any of these issues which are impacting your tenancy, the team at GCLS can offer legal support to help you solve these problems from the source.
Gippsland Community Legal Service can help Omeo residents solve a range of legal issues arising from tenancy, including:
Financial difficulties and struggling to pay rent
Eviction or challenging a notice to vacate
Having a dispute with your property manager or rental provider about repairs and maintenance of rental properties
Negotiating and dealing with a government or community housing agency about tenancy
Seeking compensation from rental providers who breach their duties under the rental agreement
Applying to and attending VCAT for your tenancy issues
Mental Health
While mental health issues affect the same rate of people in metropolitan Victoria as they do in country Victoria, there are far less support services in towns like Omeo than there are in big cities. GCLS takes your mental health into account when providing legal advice.
If you’re struggling with mental health issues which have impacted an area of law, GCLS can help. This includes:
Advance statements
Guardianship and administration
Representation at the Mental Health Tribunal
Get in touch with GCLS today
Gippsland Community Legal Service have helped many Omeo residents with legal issues other than the ones mentioned here. Whatever your concern, you’ll find help through GCLS, gaining comprehensive legal advice, completely free of charge. Get in touch with the friendly team at GCLS and help us to help you today.
