Over the past several years, Social Change Projects (SCP) has worked with Community Legal Centres Australia (CLCs Australia) to support national‑level advocacy, communications and sector coordination for the community legal centre movement. SCP has partnered with the national peak to help shape and strengthen its public narrative about the role of community legal centres, their impact on access to justice, and their contribution to early intervention and system reform. This work has included strategic discussions with CLCs Australia leadership about advocacy priorities, positioning and engagement with governments and the broader legal assistance sector. [First meet…l Scoullar | Teams]
A significant focus of SCP’s engagement has been supporting CLCs Australia’s national advocacy and media activity around key funding and reform moments, including pre‑budget advocacy under the National Legal Assistance Partnership (NLAP). SCP has provided advice on media strategy, messaging and sector engagement, and supported the development of communications assets designed to be used consistently by centres across jurisdictions. This included contributing to briefings, media releases and coordination with state and territory peaks, helping ensure national advocacy was grounded in frontline experience and communicated in a clear, compelling and politically astute way. [Catch up o…on & media | Meeting], [CLCs Austr…- May 2024 | Teams]
SCP has also supported CLCs Australia in its role as a convenor and connector across the national CLC network. This has included participating in sector briefings and consultations, advising on shared communications approaches, and supporting collaboration between national and state peaks and individual centres. Across this work, SCP’s contribution has focused on strengthening alignment between policy, advocacy and storytelling; supporting consistent, values‑based messaging; and reinforcing the collective voice of community legal centres as a trusted, non‑partisan force for justice and fairness across Australia.
