Women's Legal Service Queensland

📢 Holiday Closure Announcement Women’s Legal Service Queensland and our Statewide Helpline will close for the holidays at midday on 20 December 2024. We will reopen on Monday, 6 January 2025. If you, a child, or someone else is in immediate danger, please call 000 immediately. For non-urgent police assistance, call 131 444 to report a crime after it has happened. 💜 For 24/7 domestic violence crisis support: 📱 DV Connect: 1800 811 811 – Learn more 📱 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 – Learn more 📚 Need legal resources over the break? Visit our website for fact sheets and helpful information: [https://lnkd.in/gu5wNNys ](https://lnkd.in/gu5wNNys "/linkBuilder_6aSTi4S8YWiWOk3xvQhsuO") Alternatively, for free legal advice contact Legal Aid Queensland at 1300 651 188 (closed Dec 25 - Jan 1). Stay safe, and we’ll see you in the new year! 💜

🎄 Merry Christmas from Women’s Legal Service Queensland! As we celebrate the joy and togetherness of the holiday season, we also acknowledge that this time of year can be challenging for many. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic or family violence, know that support is always available. 💜 ✨ Remember these safety tips this festive season: ➡️Keep emergency contacts saved and easily accessible. ➡️Reach out to trusted friends or family if you feel unsafe. ➡️Have a plan in place to seek help if needed. If you, a child, or someone else is in immediate danger, please call 000 immediately. For non-urgent police assistance, call 131 444 to report a crime after it has happened. If you need DFV support during this period, reach out to: 📞 DV Connect: 1800 811 811 (24/7) 📞 1800 RESPECT: 1800 732 732 (24/7) Our free Helpline will also reopen on 6 January. Call us on 1800 957 957 between 9:00 AM–4:30 PM, Monday to Friday. 📚 Need legal resources over the break? Visit our website for fact sheets and helpful information: https://lnkd.in/gFHte6yd Alternatively, contact Legal Aid Queensland at 1300 651 188 (closed Dec 25–Jan 1) for free legal advice while we are closed. Let’s make this season one of safety, peace, and support for all. Stay safe. 💜

🎄 A special Christmas thank you message from our CEO, Nadia Bromley 🎄 This Christmas, we want to thank you for your incredible support this year and over the past 40 years. Together, we have helped over 150,000 women, providing critical support and hope in times of crisis. 💜 Domestic and family violence remains a significant issue in Queensland. Every day, we witness its devastating effects on women and children. Our work is far from done, and we need everyone on board to create a safer and fairer future. Let’s keep pushing forward to make change. Together, we can build a world where every woman and child feels safe and supported. 🎥 Watch this heartfelt message from Nadia Bromley: https://lnkd.in/gBaUM-Ut Thank you for standing with us. Wishing you a safe and joyful holiday season. 🌟

On this day in 1984 Women’s Legal Service Queensland officially began operating out of a premises at Women’s House in West End. The Service was provided once per week and staffed by a volunteer Coordinator, Lawyer and Support Worker. Five calls were recorded as received per week with need for the service growing each week. 40 years later, those women and many more have helped 150,000 women and children impacted by domestic and family violence. We continue our Founders’ courage and determination to support and advocate for women.

Pub Choir raised over $146,000!!! Thousands of singers and supporters raised their voices and funds to help address DFV and celebrate the festive season. We’re all still humming Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons’ ‘I Love You Baby’ around the WLSQ office! A big thank you to everyone who joined us at the Riverstage for one of our favourite celebrations of community coming together to create change. Thank you Astrid Jorgensen OAM and the Pub Choir team for your immense philanthropy. “You’re just too good to be true“ 💜

🏡 Stay safe where you belong. Did you know victim-survivors of domestic and family violence can access free basic security upgrades to their homes through The Salvation Army’s Safer in the Home program? This initiative aims to reduce the social and economic impacts of fleeing family violence—like homelessness, disconnection, unemployment, and disruption to children’s schooling—by making it safer for victim-survivors to remain in their homes. 🔒 Upgrades may include: ➡️Re-keying existing locks on essential external doors ➡️Replacing damaged locks and repairing structural damage caused by forced entry ➡️Installing security lighting (may include rewiring by an electrician) ➡️Adding a security door (one security door is provided due to prohibitive costs) ➡️Fitting compliant utility locks if there’s evidence of tampering ➡️Conducting a remote technology assessment, including basic cyber safety education For more information on how to apply, take a look here: https://lnkd.in/geXym9C9

If you’re in a domestic violent relationship, there are resources available to help you access immediate financial support. Services Australia can check if you’re able to receive income support or crisis payments. If it’s not safe for you or your family to complete a claim online, you can call 136 150 Monday to Friday 8 am to 8 pm or use this link to find your closest centre if it’s safe for you to visit in person: https://lnkd.in/grn6ep9F. Services Australia’s offices will be closed: Wednesday 25 December 2024 Thursday 26 December 2024 Friday 27 December 2024 Wednesday 1 January 2025. For more information on Services Australia’s financial support, look here: https://lnkd.in/gdSmxK6v

Iceland ranked as the most feminist and gender-equal country in the world. As WLSQ commemorates 40 years of advocacy and action for women in Queensland, we acknowledge Iceland being recognised #1 in the Global Gender Gap Report. Iceland has shown support for women including education, employment, financial inclusion, parliamentary representation, absence of legal discrimination, domestic violence, justice and community safety. It became the first country in the world to make it illegal to pay women less than men and offers a whole year’s worth of parental leave. Meanwhile Forbes lists other countries for their significant efforts for women’s rights. New Zealand sits at #4 on the rankings of most gender-equal countries, with Australia listed at a really disappointing twenty points behind at #24. We have come so far in 40 years, yet there’s still so much to achieve. WLSQ is committed to our mission to make change and help create accessible legal and social justice for a safer future for women and children. Read the Women’s Agenda article: https://lnkd.in/enyQTaMj

Only 1 day left until Pub Choir’s Christas Fundraising Extravaganza and until we draw the winners of our incredible raffle prizes! Have you entered the draw to win over $19,000 worth of prizes yet? From delicious eats at Maggie May Brisbane to the ultimate mini–Pub Choir experience, there’s something for everyone. Tickets start at just $10. Purchase yours today - and you don’t have to be at the Pub Choir event to enter! https://lnkd.in/gUbfsD48

The festive season isn’t joyful for everyone—it’s a time of heightened risk for some. As 2024 closes, a heartbreaking statistic emerges: on average, one Australian woman is allegedly killed every four days due to gendered violence. According to Destroy the Joint’s Counting Dead Women Australia project, 72 women have lost their lives this year—far surpassing the weekly average often quoted. 💔 Monash University’s Dr. Kate Fitz-Gibbon explains, “The festive season can be a time of heightened stress and conflict for many families,” which can exacerbate risks of violence. Help is always available. If you or someone you know needs support: 📞 DV CONNECT: 1800 811 811 📞 1800 RESPECT: 1800 732 732 📖 Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gkevqCeE