Strengthening legal responses to disasters

Disasters and crises cause legal problems and increase vulnerability.

We’ve seen first-hand how legal need shifts during disasters and crises. We’re using our evidence, and the experiences of the people we’ve helped, to call on all levels of government to act.

See our campaigns

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Why disasters make legal problems worse

When crises and disasters occur, we know that existing legal problems are exacerbated and new legal needs emerge. Often these legal problems impact the most disadvantaged people in our society, as well as uncovering newly at-risk cohorts and communities.

Unexpected legal problems can affect people’s health, financial stability and relationships. In these times of crisis, people need to be able to access legal help as quickly and seamlessly as possible.

Unexpected legal problems can affect people’s health, financial stability and relationships

How we’re helping strengthen legal responses to disasters

Over more than a decade, our team of expert lawyers have played a central role in the legal
response to disasters and crises, including:
– 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria
– 2017 Bourke St Massacre in Melbourne
– 2019-2020 bushfires primarily in Victoria and NSW
– 2020-2021 COVID-19 crisis.

Based on our extensive experiences responding to disasters and crises, as well as the lived experience of people we’ve assisted, we’re calling for more support for strategic and coordinated legal responses to disasters.

Our campaigns on strengthening legal responses to disasters

Do you need legal help?

Have you been impacted by a crisis or disaster? We can provide ongoing legal support on some areas of law.

Apply now

Takes less than 8 minutes
(4.4 star rating)

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Disaster Legal Support Resource Hub

We’ve created a hub of resources for people living and working in communities impacted by, or at risk of, disasters.

Find a range of legal information resources and links to other sources of information for individuals, small businesses, community lawyers and other frontline workers. 

Visit the Hub

Our stories about strengthening legal responses to disasters

We help bushfire affected farmers

James was thankful to be connected with local lawyers who could better understand and support him.

Read James's story