CLCQ

About Us

Community Legal Centres Queensland provides support and advocacy for 32 independent, community-led community legal centres operating across Queensland.

Queensland’s community legal centres provide free information, legal assistance and referral, representation and casework, community education and advocacy for vulnerable clients and communities facing legal problems.

Objectives

Community Legal Centres Queensland works towards the following objectives:

  • Work with Queensland community legal centres (CLCs) to continually improve organisational sustainability and service quality
  • Work with Queensland CLCs to increase the accessibility, profile and resourcing of the sector
  • Work with Queensland CLCs to unite around common objectives to bring about change

Services

Community Legal Centres Queensland is an incorporated association which operates through a small staff team along with the volunteered time and energy of Queensland CLC workers to provide:

  • representation for all members in relation to funding program and law reform issues;
  • coordination of the state administration of the national professional indemnity insurance scheme;
  • member support services including the coordination of an annual state conference, training on relevant issues and regular bulletins about matters of interest to CLC staff, volunteers and management committees;
  • encouraging community participation, to make the legal system more equitable and accessible; and
  • encouraging community participation in the work and management of community legal centres.

Click here to download a copy of our 2024-25 Strategic Plan.

Cultural Safety

Community Legal Centres Queensland acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the original inhabitants of Australia and the traditional custodians of the continent, whose cultures are among the oldest living cultures in the world.

We pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present, and particularly pay deep respect to the Turrbal and Jagera peoples, traditional custodians of the lands around Brisbane, on which the Community Legal Centres Queensland office is located.

We recognise the role and accept the responsibility that Community Legal Centres Queensland has in advancing and respecting the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including by:

  • being guided by the experiences and perspectives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, including our colleagues within the sector in Queensland and across the nation
  • demonstrating, living and leading reconciliation in our organisational culture, attitudes, structures, policies and activities
  • proactively undertaking and supporting advocacy and initiatives that promote and advance the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities
  • strengthening and maintaining collaborative partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community controlled organisations, and
  • supporting our members and community legal centres to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with equitable access to culturally safe legal services.

Community Legal Centres Queensland works with our member centres throughout Queensland to provide support, training, coaching and resources so that centres can continue to build their capacity to be culturally safe and accessible workplaces and services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees, volunteers, clients and community members.

See also

Awards and Scholarships

The Australian Charity Awards 2020

Outstanding Achievement winner 2020

Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards 2019

Not for Profit Lawyer Finalist

Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards - Not for Profit Lawyer Finalist

Governance

Read Community Legal Centres Queensland Strategic Plan or view a copy of the Community Legal Centres Queensland constitution to learn more about the organisation.

We are a registered charity

Spokespeople

Community Legal Centres Queensland spokespeople are available for interview over the phone or in person.

Our staff can provide comment to the media on a range of issues and provide insight into legal issues being addressed by the community. These issues range from access to justice,  funding for community legal centres, elder abuse, domestic and family violence, housing, mental health through to human rights.

We can also arrange for you to speak to staff working in our member centres who can provide expert comment on specific legal issues.

To find out more contact Leah Lane, Communications & Events Coordinator via email or on (07) 3392 0092.

To keep up to date with our work follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn or visit the news section of our website.

Volunteer

CLC Volunteers is a national database of community legal centres with information about current volunteering opportunities.

Find out more about volunteering at community legal centres on What to expect as a CLC volunteer (FAQs), or search the database for centres seeking volunteers.

For volunteering opportunities go here

Keep safe - content warning

Community Legal Centres Queensland wants to ensure that community legal centre (CLC) workers and others accessing this website feel safe, and are able to access appropriate and timely help and support.

CLCs provide important support and assistance to people who have experienced violence and trauma, and CLC workers and volunteers necessarily undertake training and reading in these areas as part of their professional development requirements.

As such, some of the training materials and webinars on this website may be disturbing, upsetting or trigger strong/negative emotions for victims and survivors of violence and trauma, and others.

Even if you have not directly experienced trauma, it is important to be aware of the effects that working with clients who have experienced trauma can have on your own emotional and mental wellbeing (this is known as vicarious trauma).

Community Legal Centres Queensland respects your autonomy. If you feel triggered or upset by any of the content or materials provided here, we would encourage you to use your discretion as to whether you should continue reading, watching or listening to the material.

You may also wish to access more information and resources, as well as professional support or advice from one of the free and confidential organisations listed below.

Links

  • Lifeline Australia
    Australia-wide 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services
  • Beyond Blue
    Australia-wide 24 hour information and support about mental health, including anxiety, depression and suicide.
  • Heads Up
    Heads Up provides support and resources for employees, employers, managers and small business to promote better mental health in the workplace.
  • Blue Knot Foundation
    Short term phone counselling support, information, resources, tools and workshops to help survivors of complex trauma, as well as professional development training, supervision, consultancy and other services to practitioners, organisations who work with survivors.
  • LifeWorks Employee Assistance Program
    LifeWorks is the EAP for Queensland community legal centres receiving CLSP funding and can provide free confidential advice to CLC workers. Contact your employer for further information.
  • LawCare (Queensland Law Society)
    Confidential, personal and professional support for QLS members to help proactively manage health and wellbeing.
  • DV Connect
    Womensline: 24 hour support for women experiencing domestic or family violence; Mensline: Free, confidential telephone, counselling, referral and support service for men; Sexual Assault Helpline: Telephone support and counselling regarding sexual assault or abuse.
  • QPASTT
    Flexible and culturally sensitive services that aim to address the physical, psychological and social needs of survivors of torture and trauma.

Our Staff

Rosslyn Monro
Director

Rosslyn Monro

Director

Rosslyn Monro

Penny Sullivan
Sector Sustainability Coordinator

Penny Sullivan

Sector Sustainability Coordinator

Penny Sullivan

Carly Hanson
Sector Sustainability Coordinator

Carly Hanson

Sector Sustainability Coordinator

Carly Hanson

Samantha Cooper
Sector Sustainability Coordinator

Samantha Cooper

Sector Sustainability Coordinator

Samantha Cooper

Kate Scanlon
Sector Sustainability Coordinator

Kate Scanlon

Sector Sustainability Coordinator

Kate Scanlon

Community Legal Centres Queensland
Communications Coordinator

Leah Lane

Communications Coordinator

Leah Lane

Ange Hale
Operations Coordinator

Ange Hale

Operations Coordinator

Ange Hale

Rosslyn Monro

Director

Rosslyn Monro

Rosslyn has worked in the community legal sector for over 15 years in both solicitor and management positions.

Rosslyn is committed to the support and development of the community legal sector in Queensland and Australia.

She has been on the management committee of Community Legal Centres Queensland and was previously on the board of the National Association of Community Legal Centres.

In 2015 Rosslyn was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to undertake study in the United States about how community legal services can proactively diversify funding sources in order to maintain the sustainability of services. In 2015 Rosslyn was also awarded the Women Lawyers Association of Queensland’s Woman Lawyer of the Year.

Penny Sullivan

Sector Sustainability Coordinator

Penny Sullivan

Penny is a member of the Sector Sustainability team, working with Queensland CLCs to help build organisational capacity and strengthen the sector’s ability to provide effective and high-quality services to their communities.

Penny has 20+ years’ experience working across government, for-profit and not-for-profit organisations in several jurisdictions.

She is a former policy director in the Northern Territory Government, has extensive Board experience across a variety of for-purpose organisations in Queensland and the NT, and is a Fellow of the Governance Institute of Australia.

Carly Hanson

Sector Sustainability Coordinator

Carly Hanson

Carly Hanson started working with Community Legal Centres Queensland in 2017.

As part of the Sector Sustainability Team, Carly supports community legal centres across Queensland to provide effective, high-quality services to their communities by facilitating training and professional development opportunities for staff and volunteers.

She also undertakes projects and initiatives to promote innovation and collaboration and provides support to our members with accreditation and legal practice risk management frameworks.

Carly has over 15 years’ experience in the private and community legal sectors, and in the tertiary education sector, and is passionate about providing holistic support to people experiencing disadvantage.

Samantha Cooper

Sector Sustainability Coordinator

Samantha Cooper

Samantha is a proud Gumbaynggirr woman from the mid-north coast of NSW and is employed as Community Legal Centres Queensland Sector Sustainability Coordinator.

Samantha came to Community Legal Centres Queensland from Legal Aid Queensland where she worked as the Aboriginal Policy Project Officer implementing the First Nations Strategic Plan for reducing the over-representation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the justice systems.

Sam was recently a Semi-Finalist for the 2019 Young Achiever Awards based on her work creating WISE Australia, an organisation empowering Practitioners, individuals and organisations working in domestic and family violence or front line trauma.

Sam was the Indigenous Domestic Violence specialist in Moreton Bay and ran the pilot project for the high-risk team who implemented the integrated service response.

Sam was shortlisted as Indigenous Law Student of the Year in 2018 working full time and studying a bachelor of laws. She has used her education and knowledge of the law to empower other young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people as a mentor and participant in programs such as the Indigenous Youth Parliament and the Queensland Indigenous Youth Leadership Program and worked with Oxfam Australia creating domestic family violence projects.

Kate Scanlon

Sector Sustainability Coordinator

Kate Scanlon

Kate is a social worker with over 8 years’ experience working in multiple roles across the community legal and domestic violence sectors. In addition to her experience working alongside survivors of gender-based violence, Kate has contributed to systems advocacy and the development of training.

Kate is passionate about centring the needs of people with lived experiences, reducing barriers to justice, and enhancing workforce wellbeing.

Kate is completing a law degree. In her spare time, she is an avid gardener and podcast listener.

Community Legal Centres Queensland

Communications Coordinator

Leah Lane

Leah leads and coordinates the communications for the organisation. She promotes the work of Community Legal Centres Queensland, and its members, through effective communication strategies and tactics as well as organising the annual Conference and Leadership Forum.

Leah has more than 10 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector working in multiple roles across journalism, communications, events and marketing both in Australia and overseas.

 

Ange Hale

Operations Coordinator

Ange Hale

Ange is the Operations Coordinator at Community Legal Centres Queensland, where her role is to support the CLCQ team, and ensure Community Legal Centres Queensland runs efficiently and effectively.

Ange has worked in operations and administration for fifteen years. Ange has worked in multiple roles and capacities across commercial legal and financial firms, federal and state government, and in not-for-profit and community organisations.

She brings these well-rounded and varied experiences to her role.

Ange is passionate about community, social justice and technology, which drives her to assist the community legal sector in facilitating access to justice to those most in need.

Management Committee

The Community Legal Centres Queensland Management Committee includes highly committed individuals who are representative of the Community Legal Centres Queensland membership.

The committee includes representatives from regional and metropolitan centres, generalist and specialist centres, and well-funded and poorly-funded centres.

The committee comprises the President, Secretary (currently the Community Legal Centres Queensland Director), Treasurer and up to six general members.

President

Amanda Whelan

President

Amanda Whelan

Treasurer

Jonathan Ward

Treasurer

Jonathan Ward

Committee Member

Helen Wallace

Committee Member

Helen Wallace

Committee Member

Karen Cutler

Committee Member

Karen Cutler

Committee Member

Elizabeth Behrend

Committee Member

Elizabeth Behrend

Committee Member

Alex Whitney

Committee Member

Alex Whitney

Committee Member

Ben Tuckett

Committee Member

Ben Tuckett

President

Amanda Whelan

Treasurer

Jonathan Ward

Jonathan is a lawyer at HUB Community Legal and has recently started his own firm.

He has worked in Community Legal Centres since 2008, including as the Director and Principal Lawyer of HUB Community Legal, as a youth justice and child protection lawyer at HUB Community Legal and Youth Advocacy Centre and as an evening volunteer coordinator at Caxton Legal Centre.

Committee Member

Helen Wallace

Social Work Practice Director, Caxton Legal Centre

Helen Wallace has worked for over 40 years as a social worker in human services delivery, social policy and planning and community development in large and small, government and non-government entities as well as private consulting.

In 2015 Helen joined Caxton Legal Centre to be part of a social worker-lawyer intervention team responding to abuse of older people.  In 2019 Helen joined the board of Elder Abuse Action Australia to help drive forward the vision for a society that respects older Australians and is free from elder abuse. Helen supports Caxton’s social and community work practitioners who assist clients and provide community education and prevention programs.

Committee Member

Karen Cutler

Committee Member

Elizabeth Behrend

Elizabeth has worked in the Community Legal sector for the past 8 years, first as the CEO of Thiyama-Li Family Violence Legal Prevention Service in NSW and since 2022, the CEO of Cairns Community Legal Centre.

Elizabeth has worked in the not-for-profit sector for over thirty years with experience working in Health, Disability and Mental Health. She is passionate about people and their wellbeing and strives to bring her best self to work every day.

Elizabeth joined the CLCQ Management Committee in 2023.

Committee Member

Alex Whitney

Committee Member

Ben Tuckett

Acknowledgement

Community Legal Centres Queensland pay our deepest respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the land in Australia, and recognise their continuing connection to land, water and culture.

We pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.

We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and commit to fostering a culture of learning from and working with First Nations peoples in the spirit of reconciliation and access to justice.