A newly appointed community lawyer will help Wyndham refugees and migrants who are being signed up to unfair contracts for loans and utilities.
Wyndham Community Legal Service’s Simone King said many people were signing contracts they did not understand for goods and service they could not afford.
Ms King has been appointed to work mainly with refugees and migrants after the legal centre received additional federal funding.
She will run the centre’s refugee legal service on Tuesdays, providing free advice to refugees who live, work or study in Wyndham.
Ms King said she expected to deal with a lot of consumer law problems.
“Refugee and migrant communities in Wyndham appear to be struggling with a range of consumer law issues, including entering into contracts they don’t understand and can’t afford,” she said.
“Contracts that refugee and migrant communities often face difficulties with include contracts for loans, the supply of utilities and the purchase of cars, insurance and online tutoring services.
“Some of the problems are caused by companies and their representatives, including door-to-door salespeople, engaging in misleading and deceptive conduct and signing refugees and migrants up to unfair contracts.”
Ms King said her role would involve identifying “systemic’’ legal problems affecting Wyndham’s refugee and migrant communities and taking steps to effectively deal with the issues on a broader scale.
She will also work closely with refugee and migrant settlement organisations to show people how to avoid legal problems.
» www.communitylaw.org.au/clc_werribee
