Inner Melbourne Community Legal (IMCL)

The Court of Appeal has issued an injunction restraining Homes Victoria from moving to evict several dozen households still living in public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington until the High Court can consider an application for special leave to appeal.

At IMCL, we acknowledge that we live, learn and work on Aboriginal land, and that the legal system continues to impact First Nations people. As community legal workers, we commit to do what we can to reduce that harm. Always was and always will be Aboriginal land.

Climate protestors have won a landmark legal case against Victoria Police over the force's excessive use of pepper spray. The Supreme Court found officers acted unlawfully during a protest in the city. @georgia_bm_

The Supreme Court has awarded damages of $54,000.

#BREAKING: landmark win in capsicum spray class action. VicPol found to have committed battery when they twice sprayed lead plaintiff Jordan Brown at a climate protest in Melbourne in 2019.

A Parliamentary report raises further questions about whether the government has properly considered whether there are alternatives to the demolition of the 44 towers, the disregard of residents’ human rights and the future of public and affordable housing in Victoria.

Claims by Victoria Police that they will not tolerate racial profiling have been debunked by new research showing that 12 years after police committed to eliminate the practice, young men of colour are still routinely being disproportionately stopped, searched and questioned.

Victoria Police have failed to eliminate racial profiling - there must be independent oversight and accountability of police misconduct through a police ombudsman. #policeombudsmannow theguardian.com/australia-news…

Shifrah Blustein, a managing lawyer at @IMelbCL, explains why the six month designated area for the Melbourne CBD is an over-reach by Victoria Police.

Further police powers to limit protests and freedom of expression would have the effect of undermining the right to protest and unfairly target people exercising their democratic rights.

The proposed mask ban is an extraordinary over-reach by the government and Victoria Police that conflates criminal violence with legitimate democratic protest. theage.com.au/politics/victo…

Governments at all levels should be investing in services that address root causes of poverty and homelessness and begging should be decriminalised in Victoria ASAP.

There is massive evidence that begging and homelessness is often linked to family violence as was the case for Jessica Geddes.

While most other states have abolished the offence, “begging and gathering alms” is still a criminal offence in Victoria. theage.com.au/politics/victo…

Here is an important community update on the public housing towers demolition class action.

Our team has spent all day in the Court of Appeal seeking to overturn the decision earlier this year which allowed the demolition of the public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington to go ahead. Managing Lawyer Louisa Bassini explains more.

Watch a live stream of the hearing here: vimeo.com/event/5321825

The Supreme Court will today begin hearing an appeal against a decision earlier this year to allow the demolition of public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington. imcl.org.au/news/media-rel…