who
we are

AED Legal Centre is a specialist Community Legal Service operating throughout the state of Victoria.

The centre provides information, education, advice, and legal representation to people with disability who experience discrimination in the areas of education or employment as well as representation to people seeking review of decisions about their NDIS plans.

Our main objective is to defend the human rights of people with a disability in education or employment and give them access to the justice system through a combination of individual, legal and systemic advocacy. 

The centre is a member of the Federation of Community Legal Centres of Victoria and is accredited by the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLCs).

AED Legal Centre is part of the National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP) and is mainly funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Social Services.

Our national Wage Justice Campaign is funded by the Reichstein Foundation, community fundraising activities and donations from individuals. As part of this campaign, AED is currently pursuing a new wage assessment framework to protect supported employees working in Australian Disability Enterprises.

AED acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands across Australia and particularly the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation on which the AED office is situated. We pay deep respect to Elders past and present. 

what
we do

Our experienced and dedicated staff provide the following:

  • Negotiate workplace solutions between employees with a disability and employers

  • Educate employees with disability about their employment rights

  • Draft complaints of discrimination or applications of unlawful termination of employment

  • Legal representation in the state and federal justice system

  • NDIS Appeals Program – legal advocacy for NDIS participants who want a review of an NDIA decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT)

  • Assistance and support with 'whole of life issues' that have an impact on education or employment

  • Information services to: employers, employees, disability professionals, government, school principals and universities

  • The Night of Justice Program - every Wednesday night from 6:30pm.This program is staffed by AED Legal Practitioners who supervise a team of volunteer law students and private legal practitioners.

  • The Student Placement Program - a structured legal practise program for law students of Victorian University supervised by AED's Senior Legal Practitioner

  • Systemic projects that promote the inclusion of employees with disability in employment

 

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success stories

Historic court victory

Historic court victory

AED's greatest achievement to date is the Federal Court decision in a landmark wage case that has had wide-ranging ramifications for 20,000 employees with disabilities working in Australian Disability Enterprises.

Since 2004, some employers chose to calculate the wages of people with disability using the Business Services Wage Assessment Tool (BSWAT) which resulted in a very poor return on work, despite people with disability contributing significantly to meeting Australia’s packaging, manufa… more

Class Action Success

Class Action Success

On 16 December 2016 the Federal Court approved the settlement of a class action between the Commonwealth and employees of Australian Disability Enterprises (ADEs) whose wages had been assessed under the BSWAT.

The decision worth $100 + million will benefit over 8,000 employees with disability working in ADEs around Australia. The class action settlement means that these workers will be eligible to get 70% of the money owed to them in lost wages by the government under the BSWAT Payment Scheme… more

more success stories

recent cases

(03) 9639 4333

Level 9
45 William Street
Melbourne, VIC 3000

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