5 July 2000
Legal Aid Queensland has produced a series of self-help kits that are available for free to the Queensland public.
The kits range on topics such as what to do when you’ve been sacked from work to how to take out a domestic violence protection order to what you can do if you have been involved in a car accident and you don’t have insurance.
‘We produce self-help kits in plain, easy to understand English educating people about their legal rights as well as providing practical information about how to complete legal documents and file them in the appropriate court,’ Legal Aid Queensland’s Chief Executive Officer John Hodgins said.
Mr Hodgins said Legal Aid produced self-help kits to fill in gaps in direct service delivery and that their production was determined by analysing client needs.
The current self-help kits that are available for free from Legal Aid Queensland include:
- What to do when you've been sacked from work – a guide to unfair dismissal laws in Queensland. Included in this kit is how to make a claim for reinstatement/compensation in the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.
- Consent Orders about Children - a consumer guide to the Family Court’s consent order kit for agreements about children after separation. This kit explains what a consent order is and what documents you require to apply for consent orders.
- Debt Self-Help kit – for debts of $50,000 or less in Queensland. This kit explains, for example, what happens if a creditor takes legal action against you for non-payment of a debt and where you stand legally if this happens to you.
- Minor Debt Claim Self-Help kit – a guide to making a claim for a minor debt in the Magistrates Court in Queensland. This kit sets out what forms you need to fill out and how to fill them out and what may happen at the hearing.
- Domestic Violence – Finding a Way Out This booklet explains the steps that people who have suffered domestic violence can take to obtain protection under the law.
- Motor Vehicle Property Damage Self-help kit – a guide to claiming or responding to a claim for property damage after a motor vehicle accident. This kit is for people who may have been involved in a car accident and who do not have insurance
- The Small Claims Tribunal and other legal options: a consumer guide. This kit was done in conjunction with the Office of Fair Trading and tells consumers how to take action in the Small Claims Tribunal if they have a dispute with a trader about goods or services they have bought.
‘If you would like free copies of the above kits sent out to you, contact Legal Aid Queensland’s Client Service Centre on tel 1300 65 11 88 for the cost of a local call anywhere in Queensland,’ Mr Hodgins said.
The kits can be downloaded and printed from the Legal Aid Queensland website at the 'Publications' section of our website.
Further media inquiries: Anthony Brown on telephone (07) 3238 3392.