Useful contacts

Useful contacts

Organisations that handle discrimination complaints

The places listed below deal with enquiries and complaints about discrimination, victimisation harassment and public threats of violence.

Anti-Discrimination NSW (ADNSW)
Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC)
NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) (Administrative and Equal Opportunity Division)
Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA)
Federal Court of Australia (FCA)
Sydney
  • Law Courts Building, Level 17, Queens Square, Sydney NSW 2000
  • 1300 720 980
  • (02) 9230 8295 (fax)
  • nswreg@fedcourt.gov.au
Brisbane
  • Level 6, Harry Gibbs Commonwealth Law Courts Building Brisbane QLD 4000
  • 1300 720 980
  • (07) 3248 1260 (fax: general)
  • (07) 3248 1240 (fax: filing)
  • qldreg@fedcourt.gov.au
Melbourne
  • Owen Dixon Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 305 William St
  • Melbourne VIC 3000
  • 1300 720 980
  • (03) 8600 3351 (fax)
  • vicreg@fedcourt.gov.au
Fair Work Commission (FWC)
Fair Work Ombudsman
  • www.fairwork.gov.au
  • Level 13, 175 Liverpool Street
  • Sydney NSW 2000
  • GPO Box 9887 Sydney NSW 2001
  • 131 394 (general enquiries)
  • 1800 555 677 (TTY)
  • 1800 555 727 (Speak and Listen)

Interpreters

Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National)

Places to get legal information, advice and assistance about discrimination

The places listed below can give you legal information, advice or assistance about any type of discrimination, no matter where you live in New South Wales.

LawAccess NSW
Legal Aid NSW

Legal Aid NSW provides free legal advice and legal representation in court for eligible clients. Call LawAccess NSW on 1300 888 529 or find your nearest Legal Aid NSW office at www.legalaid.nsw.gov. au/contact-us

Kingsford Legal Centre
Public Interest Advocacy Centre

The places listed below have specialist services for particular groups of people. If you are in one of the groups listed, they can give you legal advice about any type of discrimination, no matter where you live in New South Wales.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women

Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women’s Legal Centre
Women’s Legal Services NSW – First Nations Women’s Legal Program

Children and Young People (Under 18)

Marrickville Legal Centre Youth Legal Service
Youth Law Australia
Shopfront Youth Legal Centre

Disability

Australian Centre for Disability Law
National Relay Service

Gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex

Inner City Legal Centre

HIV/AIDS

HIV/AIDS Legal Centre

Intellectual Disability

Intellectual Disability Rights Service
  • www.idrs.org.au
  • (02) 9265 6350 (enquiries)
  • (02) 9265 6300/1300 665 908 (Justice Advocacy Service)

Older People

Seniors Rights Service

Women

Women’s Legal Services NSW

Community legal centres

Community Legal Centres NSW
Central Coast Community Legal Service
Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Community Legal Centre
  • www.ctbmclc.org.au
  • Blue Mountains, Lithgow, Oberon and Bathurst regions
  • (02) 4704 0207
  • 1300 363 967
Far West Community Legal Centre
Hume Riverina Community Legal Service
Hunter Community Legal Centre
Illawarra Legal Centre
Inner City Legal Centre
Kingsford Legal Centre
Macarthur Legal Centre
Marrickville Legal Centre
North & North West Community Legal Service
Northern Rivers Community Legal Centre
Redfern Legal Centre
Shoalcoast Community Legal Centre
South West Sydney Legal Centre
University of Newcastle Legal Centre
Western Sydney Community Legal Centre Limited
Western NSW Community Legal Centre Inc

Private solicitors

The places listed below might be able to help you find a solicitor or barrister to take on your case for free or at a low cost.

Law Society of NSW
NSW Bar Association
Justice Connect (formerly Public Interest Law Clearing House (PILCH))

Places that handle other sorts of complaints

For a detailed directory of places where you can make complaints, go to www.complaintline.com.au. The places listed below might be able to help you if you have a problem with an organisation or a government department. Usually, you have to try to sort out your problem directly with the organisation or government department before you can go to one of these organisations.

The services listed below are arranged by type of problem.

Accommodation

NSW Fair Trading
Tenants’ Union of NSW

Banks and other credit providers

Australian Financial Complaints Authority

Consumer (goods and services)

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
ACCC Indigenous Infoline
  • 1300 303 143
Australian Financial Complaints Authority
NSW Fair Trading

Education

Catholic Education Commission
NSW Department of Education

Employment

Comcare Australia
Fair Work Commission
Fair Work Ombudsman
NSW Industrial Relations Commission
SafeWork NSW & State Insurance Regulatory Authority (SIRA)

Government departments

Commonwealth Ombudsman
NSW Ombudsman

Health

Health Care Complaints Commission

Each health care profession also has its own organisation which you can complain to. If you want the name of one of these organisations, contact the Health Care Complaints Commission.

Hotels

Australian Hotels Association NSW

Immigration

Department of Home Affairs
Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority

Insurance

Australian Financial Complaints Authority
Commonwealth Ombudsman

Lawyers

Office of the Legal Services Commissioner

Local Councils

The Office of Local Government

Media and advertising

Ad Standards
Australian Communications and Media Authority
Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance
Australian Press Council
Advertising Council Australia

Neighbour disputes

Community Justice Centres

Police

NSW Ombudsman
NSW Police Service Customer Assistance Unit

Privacy

Information and Privacy Commission NSW
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner

Registered clubs

NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing

Telecommunications

Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman

Transport

Transport for NSW
State Transit Authority of NSW
Sydney Trains
NSW Taxi Council

Other places to get help

If you have been the victim of a crime, call the police on 000 if it is an emergency. If it is not an emergency, call the Police Assistance Line on 131 444. You can also call the Victims Services’ Victims Access Line, or visit its website to get information, support and referrals to other service providers:

Unions

Unions can help their members sort out problems in the workplace. To find our more about unions contact:

Australian Council of Trade Unions
Unions NSW

Other advocacy or support services

Below is a list of some advocacy and support organisations. These services might be able to give you some support or point you in the direction of someone who can.

You might also like to check for other advocacy services offered by ADA Australia for aged and disability advocates:

Ageing and Disability Commission
Australian Centre for Disability Law
Carers NSW Australia
Deaf Society of New South Wales
Dementia Australia NSW
Disability Advocacy NSW
People With Disability Australia (PWDA)
Disability Gateway
Embrace Multicultural Mental Health
Ethnic Communities Council
Family Advocacy
Federation of Parents and Citizens’ Associations of NSW
Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby
The Gender Centre Inc.
IDEAS (Information on Disability Education & Awareness Services)
Immigrant Women’s Speakout Association Inc
Indigenous Disability Advocacy Service
  • (02) 9687 7688
Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association
National Disability Insurance Scheme
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
NSW Council for Intellectual Disability
One Door Mental Health
Settlement Services International
Self-Advocacy Sydney Inc.
Seniors Rights Service
Transcultural Mental Health Centre
Way Ahead Mental Health Association NSW
  • www.wayahead.org.au
  • (02) 9339 6000 (WayAhead office)
  • 1300 794 991 (mental health enquiries)
  • 1300 794 992 (support line for anxiety disorders)

Counselling services

Many people who have experienced discrimination find it helpful to speak to a counsellor. To find the right counsellor for you, talk to your GP, your local community health centre or someone at one of the advocacy and support services listed in this Toolkit. Look in your local phonebook if you’re not sure where your nearest community health centre is. If you are a woman, you might also be able to get some free counselling at a women’s health centre. Contact Women’s Health NSW at www.whnsw.asn.au or on (02) 9560 0866 to find the centre nearest you.

If you are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, you might be able to get some free counselling at the Aboriginal Medical Service. Contact them on (02) 9319 5823.

For other useful counselling services, see www.health.nsw.gov.au.

If you need to talk to someone straight away, you can call one of the services listed below.

Domestic Violence Line
  • 1800 656 463
Headspace (National Youth Mental Health Foundation)
Kids Help Line
Lifeline
Mensline Australia
NSW Mental Health Line
  • 1800 011 511
NSW Rural Mental Health Support Line
Sexual Assault Hotline
  • 1800 424 017

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