Aims
VALS’ aims are to provide high quality assistance consistent with:
- VALS’ obligations under the Contract with the Attorney-General’s
Department (C’th) to provide legal aid services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Victoria. - Legal professional practice and ethical obligations.
- The relative needs of individual clients.
Objectives
VALS’ objectives are to:
- Address both the causes and effects of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander disadvantage. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience far higher rates of adverse contact with the justice system than do other Australians. They are incarcerated at significantly higher rates than non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. They are also one of the most profoundly disadvantaged groups in Australian society. They fall well below relevant national benchmarks on virtually every measure of well-being and socio-economic status.
- Improve the access of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to high quality and culturally appropriate legal aid services so that they can fully exercise their legal rights as Australian citizens.
- Improve both the quality and efficiency of service delivery to the
ultimate benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients. - Prioritise and target available resources to ensure that
services are responsive to established policy priorities and community needs, and to provide the best possible quality of service to individual clients.
Related Objectives
VALS’ related objectives are to:
- Emphasise the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services taking a striving approach to promoting social justice, rights, and empowerment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Be proactive and bring about tangible and long-term outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, groups and communities in Victoria.
- Promote the right of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to identity and culture.
- Ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples enjoy their rights, are aware of their responsibilities under the law and have access to appropriate legal representation.
- Protect and promote the particular legal rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and children.
- Reduce the disproportionate involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in the criminal justice system.
- Promote the review of legislation and other practices which discriminate against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Bring about reform of the law, and practices relating to the law, that unfairly effect or discriminate against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Engage in law and policy reform work to reduce the disproportionate involvement of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the criminal justice system and to promote the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective on other human and civil rights issues.
- Research issues effecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- As far as possible provide legal services in ways that aim to empower and educate clients and focus on prevention and rehabilitation.
- Contribute to and/or lead efforts to establish programs or facilities that divert Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples from the justice system where appropriate.
- Actively work to coordinate and liaise with other legal services for the benefit of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to ensure maximum access to all legal services.
- Actively work to coordinate and liaise with a wide range of other relevant services and bodies to promote availability and accessibility of programs and services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- Provide culturally appropriate education programs and resources with the aim of promoting the rights and freedoms of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.