South West Community Legal Centre Inc.
South West Community Legal Centre Inc. is committed to equity and social justice for all.
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Your donations go towards providing vital services to vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the South West. Please make a donation today to help us, help others.
Serving the South West region for 30+ years.
Vision
Fair Access to Justice
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Mission
To provide accessible, high-quality support and advocacy to individuals and communities across the South West to achieve fair and just legal outcomes
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Values
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Courage
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Compassion
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Commitment
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Objectives
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Our Services: Delivering the best possible outcomes for clients
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Our People: Supporting and growing a skilled, passionate and dedicated team
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Our Presence: Enhancing awareness and our standing as a community leader
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Our People: Ensuring strong governance, systems and financial performance
Funders and Supporters
South West Community Legal Centre Inc. gratefully acknowledges its funders and supporters:
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The Public Purposes Trust
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The Law Society of Western Australia
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Australian Government - Attorney General's Department
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Department of Justice
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Government of Western Australia - Department of Attorney General
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Government of Western Australia - Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety
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Family Advocacy & Support Services
About Us
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History
South West Community Legal Centre (SWCLC) was born from small but important beginnings in 1988 when a pro bono solicitor began offering evening legal services. There was a key need for community lawyers identified for individuals whom were unable to access services through Legal Aid or the Private Legal Sector. As a result, our services were built to bridge the gap between access to justice and assist those unable to access other legal services.
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Originally called Bunbury Community Legal Centre, our service underwent a name change in 2016 to South West Community Legal Centre Inc, to better reflect our service area which covers the entire South West region of Western Australia. Today SWCLC employs sixteen staff members, including Chief Executive Officer Tahleisha Bennell-Mustica, Principal Solicitor Renee Turner, senior and junior solicitors, paralegals and non-legal support workers who work together to offer free legal services to disadvantaged and vulnerable people who may otherwise be unable to obtain professional support and assistance within the region.
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We continue to provide legal advice in a variety of family and generalist civil legal matters including both property settlement and parenting matters, child support, care and protection matters, restraining orders and domestic violence matters, criminal injuries compensation claims, tenancy, other civil claims including credit and debt matters, dividing fences matters and limited advance care planning. For more information about our services, please see the 'Our Services' tab.
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Governance
South West Community Legal Centre Inc. is governed by a Board of Management and is an Incorporated Association under the Incorporated Associations Act 2015. SWCLC receives funding from a number of sources, all of which can be found above under ‘Our Funders and Supporters’. Our current board members for the 2025-2026 financial year include the following:
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Board Chair - Renae Isaacs-Guthridge
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Deputy Chair - Summer Brinkworth
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Treasurer – Stella Hulm
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Secretary – Lou Fischer
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Board Member – Matelina Brown
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Board Member - Susan Vidovich
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Board Member - Gee Mpenya
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