A SURVEY conducted by Peninsula Community Legal Centre has found that more than one-in-three people are facing hidden legal problems, including unpaid fines and debts.
The Peninsula Community Legal Centre’s mobile legal office, the Street Law Coffee Van, made 136 visits across Melbourne’s south-east between February 2024 and August 2025. It conducted 3799 “legal health checks” during that time, finding that 36 percent of clients had a legal issue that needed addressing.
PCLC CEO Jackie Galloway said that a majority of the identified issues related to housing insecurity and cost of living stress. She said “this data confirms what we have long suspected; many people have problems which they don’t even realise are legal issues.”
“Even for those who do know they need a lawyer, the legal system can just be too intimidating. Any action is put off,” she said.
“Yet through a patient conversation over coffee, everyday issues can turn out to have legal solutions. That delicate balance of humanity and cutting-edge expertise is what our Street Law program has delivered to our neighbours doing it toughest out there.”
Galloway said that clients of the PCLC Street Law Coffee Van were able to resolve the situation immediately 80 percent of the time. An elderly pensioner planning to use his Centrelink savings to pay a $1,400 emergency service debt was able to access a pension exemption with assistance from the PCLC team, and a father had 40 road and toll fines worth over $15,000 withdrawn entirely.
“In all the examples shown, one simple conversation led to a lot of positive change. The Street Law van, for many people, is less intimidating and more effective than a legal office,” Galloway said.
“And it’s fair to say that if it weren’t out there, those suffering on the margins would likely never receive the help they need.
“That’s why we strongly encourage anyone who might identify with these stories to contact us for an appointment for free advice and support”.
The Peninsula Community Legal Centre offers free legal services to people living in Frankston and on the Mornington Peninsula. To contact the PCLC call 9783 3600.
First published in the Frankston Times – 16 December 2025