Timeline
1957
Housing Commission built walk-up flats in Debney Park, which had been a tannery and a tip in the early 20th century.
1960s
Holland Court high rise estate is planned and 4,500 people live on Debney Park estate.
1970s
Kensington Community Health Centre, Kensington Community Centre, Macaulay Community Credit Cooperative open. Local newspaper Flemington Kensington News begins as community volunteer newspaper. The paper consistently supported the work of FKCLC.
1980
Neil Cole set up a volunteer-run legal service based at the Flemington Community Health Centre to provide free legal advice and assistance to locals. The team and committee of management are locals and volunteers. This service is the forerunner to the FKCLC.
1981
The legal service incorporates as Flemington Kensington Community Legal Centre (FKCLC). It received funding to pay Neil Cole as a part-time administrator and employ a part time community lawyer. FKCLC worked closely with the Health Centre, Flemington Tenants’ Association, Tiny Tots Child Care Centre and many other community services.
1983
FKCLC was involved in developing community-owned enterprises such as Flemington High Rise Security Service and North West Conveyancing Service that created employment and training opportunities for local residents. FKCLC established an outreach legal service at the Flemington and Kensington Community Health Centres and the North Melbourne and Flemington Tenants' Associations. The Federation of Community Legal Centres (FCLC) formed a Police Issues Working Group.
1986
Flemington Youth Empowerment Project commenced.
1987
FKCLC established Flem/Ken Youthline, a 24-hour phone service for young people to use when they are questioned by Victoria Police at Flemington or Moonee Ponds police stations. It was later the called Western Youth Lawline. FKCLC published the first edition of Police Powers: Your rights in Victoria.
1987-1993
Police Shootings Campaign began after Victoria Police shot dead 11 people. Four had families in the Flemington and Kensington area. This community-based campaign exposed abuse and systemic failures in police actions and procedures.
1989
Seven hundred people attended a public meeting about police shootings at Kensington Town Hall.
1991
Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission published the National Inquiry into Racist Violence in Australia report. FKCLC received the Tim McCoy Award for its contribution to community law, particularly the work done with families on the inquests into police shootings, and the Police and Community video project. FKCLC moved to Kensington Town Hall.
1991-1993
In association with Flemington Police Station, Melbourne City Council and Flemington Secondary College, FKCLC published Listen to Me - an education kit for young people and police that addressed concerns about the relationship between the local community and Victoria Police. This important reciprocal education project led to a reduction in complaints against police. The FCLC's Police Issues Working Group published the Report Into Mistreatment by Police 1991-92.
1992
FKCLC published Police Shootings in Victoria 1987-1989 - You Deserve to Know the Truth, co-authored by the families of shooting victims Mark Militano, Graeme Jensen, Gary Abdallah and Jedd Houghton.
1994
FKCLC moved to 40 Bellair Street in Kensington.
1995
FKCLC conduct a research and action project called Issues Facing the Horn of Africa Communities.
1996
Victoria Police brutally assaulted 21-year old Corinna Horvath during an unlawful raid on her home. A long legal process followed that eventually led to the United Nations Human Rights Committee's decision that found the Australian Government should ensure victims of police assault have a right to compensation and that their complaint about police misconduct to be heard independently.
1998
FKCLC ran an Indo-Chinese Family Law Seminar to educate sole parents in the community about family law in Australia.
2000
FKCLC conduct a research and action project Livin' on the High Rise.
2001-2003
Kensington High Rise was mostly demolished and many people were relocated; with a mix of private and public housing established.
2006
Seventeen complaints are made to the Office of Police Integrity in relation to human rights abuses against African and Afghan Australians. FKCLC received its second Tim McCoy Award for the Police Accountability Project (PAP) and amplifying the voices of young people that experienced police mistreatment. FKCLC ran a Legal Advice Line for protesters involved in the 2006 G20 summit in Melbourne.
2007
A large number of police mistreatment claims led to the Bringing Human Rights in Police Practice project. This coincided with the introduction of Victoria's Human Rights and Responsibilities Charter Act 2006 (Vic).
2008
Corinna Horvath made a Communication to the United Nations' Human Rights Committee in Geneva, to seek compensation for the police abuse she was subjected to in 1996.
2009
FKCLC received the Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES) Certificate of Excellence for work with refugee youth.
2011
FKCLC published Race or Reason? Police Encounters with Young People in the Flemington Region and Surrounding Areas.
2012
Walking Alongside socio-legal program was introduced, which provided integrated culturally appropriate health and family support to FKCLC clients.
2013
The landmark Haile-Michael v Konstantinidis race discrimination case was settled in the Federal Court. This led to the Victoria Police inquiry into racial profiling and the report, Equality is not the same. This included a 3-year action plan and a landmark agreement for Victoria Police to publicly review its training and ‘field contact’ practices. This included Victoria Police's first trial of ‘stop and search’ receipting. Around 30+ complaints of racialised policing in the area were made to the Office of Police Integrity. FKCLC received Best Service Provider by Victorian African Community Awards.
2014
FKCLC received the Australian Lawyers Alliance Victorian Civil Justice Award in recognition of its representation of Corinna Horvath in Horvath v Australia (2014). FKCLC received Tim McCoy Award for the third time. The Safe From Harm program was set up as a partnership with Moonee Valley Legal Service.
2015
Carmen Tommasi moved to the role of Office Manager. Victoria Police banned racial profiling. FKCLC and Melbourne University Law School established Victoria’s first state-wide Police Complaints Clinic (now Public Interest Law Clinic) to provide basic advice on police complaints, Freedom of Information (FOI) requests, casework assistance and advocacy. Stopwatch Vic program monitored stop and search receipting trials in Moonee Valley, Greater Dandenong, Mildura and Boroondara.
2017
FKCLC's migration lawyer Denise Gardner (now with IMCL) received Tim McCoy Award for her outstanding contribution above the call of duty in protecting and promoting human rights and justice for people and communities in Victoria.
2018
The Inquiry into the External Oversight of Police Corruption and Misconduct made 69 recommendations to improve the way police corruption and misconduct is investigated and prevented in Victoria. FKCLC commissioned to research to explore strategic options for the long-term future of the centre.
2019
FKCLC, with the support of Victoria Legal Aid, published Police Powers: Your Rights in Victoria.
2020
FKCLC and other inner Melbourne legal centres support residents of the nine Flemington and Kensington public housing estates subjected to a ‘hard (COVID-19) lockdown’. A dedicated 24/7 legal telephone hotline was established and a team of lawyers and legal observers were rostered to be on site.
2021
FKCLC and Inner Melbourne Community Legal Centre (IMCL) vote to amalgamate. The merged entity will trade as IMCL from 2022. FKCLC ran advocacy campaigns about COVID-19 policing and fines. Community consultation informed the Victorian Government’s renewal for Holland Court and Victoria Street housing, which replaced old housing with 366 new homes.