Basic Rights Queensland

Testimonials

• Sam Tracy

  BRQ Practice Director - Basic Rights Queensland - 2023

  My career in the CLC sector commenced with voluntary practical legal training at Basic Rights Queensland in administrative, anti-discrimination and human rights practice. Some years later, I am now in a senior management overseeing blended teams of lawyers and social workers.

  I have advised and represented in merits reviews in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, settlements for disability discrimination matters in the Australian and Queensland Human Rights Commissions and hearings in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

  Most of our clients face financial disadvantage, half experience mental health conditions and many face complex disadvantage or vulnerability. Our work in rural and remote areas has provided much needed legal clinics for regional aboriginal communities, and we operate health justice partnerships.

  CLC work allows me to share my passion for accountability, and represents a very tangible way to directly provide access to justice to those most at need.

• Anke Joubert

  Volunteer - Basic Rights Queensland - 2020

  As a first year law student with little to no understanding of how to get started with building a resume for a legal career I reached out to a friend who had been doing it for a couple years and she instantly mentioned volunteering at legal centres. I had a look through a list of great places but Basic Rights Queensland (BRQ) stood out to me because they provided free legal services to those most disadvantaged in our communities.

  When I first started, the role of the volunteers was almost solely to do client in-take calls and set up meetings for advice with the lawyers in the team. This really exposed me not only to a professional workplace environment but also highlighted the cultural, systemic, and economic disadvantages that some people faced on a daily basis. Although, as you could imagine, some of the calls would become extremely confronting and emotional as people poured their hearts out about their financial and living situations.

  Towards the end of my time at BRQ we relocated offices and alongside this change the Principal Solicitor started to provide the law student volunteers with more complicated tasks. We were given research tasks (such as compiling memos on the new Queensland Human Rights Act), listened into advices with solicitors and had them explain the processes such as meeting criteria for specific Centrelink payments.

  Overall, BRQ and my volunteering experience there exposed me to some invaluable experiences and helped me gain an appreciation for pro bono law.

• Eloise Dalton

  WWQ Practice Director - Basic Rights Queensland - 2023

  Basic Rights Queensland is a state-wide community legal service which incorporates Working Women Queensland. Working Women Queensland (WWQ) provides advice, advocacy and legal services to Queensland women in relation to work related matters (for example discrimination & sexual harassment in the workplace, or unfair dismissal).

  I've been an employed solicitor with WWQ since May 2022, with previous experience in a private practice background.

  At WWQ, the work is so varied, and no two days are the same! On any given day, an advisor could be giving phone advice, assisting a client with an application (for example in the Fair Work Commission or a Human Rights Commission), advocating in a conciliation conference or appearing in a Tribunal.

  Providing a free service to a client who has been otherwise unable to access support (for example because of financial disadvantage) is a hugely rewarding part of the role. I highly recommend working in the community legal sector to any student thinking of giving it a go.