Family law and credit problems are among the issues driving demand for community legal services in Melton, a new report reveals.
Justice Out West, released by Brimbank and Melton Community Legal Centre last week, found that strong demand, extreme population growth and increasing cultural diversity were among the challenges faced by the service.
It said government issues, general civil law and criminal cases were also among the most common reasons for people to use the service in Melton.
Family law accounted for 24 per cent of information sought; 31 per cent concerned advice, and 13 per cent involved case work, according to the report.
Twenty-four per cent of all cases related to money, while criminal matters accounted for 19 per cent.
The report said Melton had high rates of family violence and crimes against the person, and a large prison population. “Applications by Victoria Police for family violence intervention orders occurred nearly twice as often in Melton (320.2 per 100,000 population) compared to the whole of Victoria (184.6 per 100,000 population),” the report added.
Almost 22 per cent of residents commute more than two hours to work – nearly double the figure for greater Melbourne (11.6 per cent).
