COVID-19

This episode was recorded on 12 August 2021. The information was current at that time in accordance with the public health orders in place to manage the COVID-19 situation in NSW. At the time of publishing, it is a reasonable excuse to leave your home if you need to continue existing arrangements for access to, and contact between, parents and children.  You can keep up to date with the changing rules around reasonable excuses using these links: Greater Sydney restrictions | NSW Government Regional and rural restrictions | NSW Government We speak to Joshua Mestroni, a family lawyer with the South West Sydney Legal Centre. Joshua answers questions about how to manage shared parenting arrangements during the current COVID-19 public health order restrictions, particularly in Greater Sydney.  The links below are for the organisations and resources mentioned during the conversation. Free legal help from South West Sydney Legal Centre go to our website for all contact details - www.swslc.org.au online referral form for community workers only – https://www.swslc.org.au/online-referral/ email address – info@swslc.org.au For free legal help and referrals to family lawyers in other parts of Sydney and across the whole of NSW, call the Legal Aid NSW Family Law Early Intervention Unit on 1800 551 589 Federal Circuit Court National COVID 19 list - The Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia have each established a court list dedicated to dealing exclusively with urgent family law disputes that have arisen as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Go to http://www.federalcircuitcourt.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/fccweb/about/covid/covid-list/national-covid-list Legal Aid NSW COVID-19 legal factsheets for families, relationships and children - https://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/get-legal-help/covid-19 NSW Health COVID-19 factsheets - https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/isolation-guidelines.aspx NSW Health Aboriginal Health COVID-19 resources - https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/aboriginal-resources.aspx Look after yourself - Family Relationships Online - https://www.familyrelationships.gov.au/covid-19 To keep up-to-date, subscribe to the Legal Aid NSW Law for Community Workers Alert newsletter.   Edited by Tiffany Dimmack from Audiocraft

We speak to Nicola Cannon a solicitor in the government law team — specialising in social security. She will be giving us an overview of recent changes to Centrelink payments and what those changes mean for our clients. Referrals and more information LawAccess NSW 1300 888 529 Contact Legal Aid NSW  to speak to a lawyer. Please check www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au for updates about availability of legal advice. Centrelink’s dedicated COVID-19 page — this website is being regularly updated. Appealing Centrelink decisions and advice Review of Decision Form Welfare Rights Legal Centre Financial counselling Timeline of changes to JobSeeker Payments Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Period Special coronavirus security arrangements to end Subscribe to our Alerts for community and health workers to stay up-to-date  Look after yourself We want this to be a safe space for listeners. If you need support, there are services that can help: Beyond Blue -1300 224 636 Lifeline -13 11 14

In this episode, we speak to Christina Alkhamisi, Civil Solicitor, who answers some frequently asked questions from Community Worker who work with Refugee communities on the COVID-19 changes. She provides us with a clear summary of Public Health Order fines, Centrelink and Immigration changes, and information about where to get more information and help for your clients. Referrals and more information LawAccess NSW 1300 888 529 or visit Legal Aid NSW Refugee Service 87136725 or visit https://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/what-we-do/civil-law/refugee-service Visit the Legal Aid NSWwebsite to find a local advice service. For more information on Work and Development orders, please visit the Legal Aid website at https://www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au/publications/factsheets-and-resources/covid-19/covid-19-public-health-orders-what-do-i-need-to-know For more information on COVID changes, please visit the LawAccess website at https://www.lawaccess.nsw.gov.au/Pages/news-articles/covid19.aspx For more information on Centrelink changes please see Legal Aid’s ‘Centrelink in the Time of COVID-19 Podcast’ or visit the Centrelink website. Centrelink’s dedicated COVID-19 page — this website is being regularly updated. If you need an interpreter, please call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450.

For Law Week 2020, Legal Aid NSW wants everyone in NSW to have access to the legal information they need in these challenging times. In this special Law Week episode, we talk to Kerry Wright about the best places to find legal information whether you have a COVID-19 related legal issue or a more general legal issue. In this episode we discuss: Legal Aid NSW legal resources Find Legal Answers website Law Access website Law Access legal information line: 1300 888 529 Legal Aid NSW Youtube channel

We speak to Nicola Cannon senior solicitor, Social Security, about the COVID-19 measures that have been introduced by Centrelink.  She provides us with a clear summary of the changes, and information about where to get help. As the situation evolves, we will be speaking to Nicola again, so please subscribe to Law for Community Workers on the go to stay informed. Referrals and more information LawAccess NSW 1300 888 529 Contact Legal Aid NSW  to speak to a lawyer. Please check www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au for updates about availability of legal advice. Centrelink’s dedicated COVID-19 page — this website is being regularly updated. How to register your intention to claim a Centrelink payment - coronavirus (COVID-19)  More information and a full list of eligible Centrelink payments Guardian guide to applying for Jobseeker payment Subscribe to our Alerts for community and health workers to stay up-to-date  Look after yourself We want this to be a safe space for listeners. If you need support, there are services that can help: Beyond Blue -1300 224 636 Lifeline -13 11 14 Time stamps 02.30 —Summary of the changes — Coronavirus supplement payment 04.49 — Changes that are already active — asset testing, newly arrived resident waiting period, ordinary waiting periods, seasonal workers and additional documents 07.35 — Economic support payments 08.21 — date update regarding economic support payments 11.10 — Already receiving a payment? 11.40 — Jobseeker payment definition 16.30 — Other types of payments — carers, students and families 20.50 — Contacting Centrelink on behalf of your client 23.15 — Wanting to receive a Centrelink payment? 27.58 — Payment and service finder website — other immediate support 28.40— How Legal Aid NSW and other organisations can help

In this first of our ‘COVID-19’ special episodes, we talk to Alex Yiannikas from Employment Law team about the rights for casual and permanent employees in these unprecedented times. The podcast audio is taken from a live webinar we recorded on 18 March 2020 and answers questions from our Community Worker audience. As the situation evolves, we will be talking to our employment lawyers again to keep you updated, so subscribe to Law for Community Workers on the go to stay informed.   Referrals and more information Free legal help LawAccess NSW 1300 888 529 Legal Aid NSW Legal Aid NSW - 02 9219 5000 to check eligibility for free legal advice about rights at work. Please check www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au for updates about availability of legal advice. Migrants and temporary visa holders in NSW can call the Migrant Employment Legal Service on 02 8002 1203 – www.mels.org.au Publications Your workplace rights during a disaster Order FREE Publications Fair Work Ombudsman 13 13 94 Information about workplace entitlements and obligations for people affected by the outbreak of coronavirus. Further information SafeWork NSW has information about Coronavirus and your workplace - For enquiries about Workers Compensation, contact the Workers Compensation Independent Review Office on 13 9476 Unions NSW ABC Radio National program — not enough sick leave? Centrelink Look after yourself We want this to be a safe space for listeners. If you need support there are services that can help: Beyond Blue -1300 224 636 Lifeline -13 11 14