It took more than 25 years to establish Youthlaw, which was designed to address a crucial gap in the provision of legal services for young individuals in Victoria.
It is absolutely vital that young people are given the chance to advocate for their own human rights, gain a practical understanding of how the law affects their lives, and be provided with opportunities to take charge of the legal issues that influence them.
This need was first recognised by the government in 1995, when the Australian Law Reform Commission and the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission initiated the Inquiry into Children and the Legal Process. This Inquiry, affectionately referred to as Seen and Heard, recommended establishing a network of youth advocates throughout the nation.
A distinctive partnership between the private and community legal sectors led to the founding of Youthlaw, Victoria’s first community legal centre dedicated to young people. Blake Dawson Waldron (now Ashurst), North Melbourne Legal Service, and the Federation of Community Legal Centres came together to create this centre.
The vision evolved, and funding was secured for a standalone center and Youthlaw commenced operations in October of 2001.
Youthlaw initially operated in a shared workspace at Frontyard*. Today, with the support of the Centre for Innovative Justice and RMIT University, Youthlaw has expanded to its own office located at 147-155 Pelham Street, Carlton.
*Youthlaw has an ongoing partnership with Frontyard.