Leanne Sinclair on her journey to helping prevent family violence

Victoria Legal Aid Family Violence Program Manager Leanne Sinclair posted on LinkedIn this week: 

I never wanted to be a lawyer. My love of sport led to an interest in health sciences and the idea of becoming a physiotherapist. A squeamish stomach would necessitate a change of career plan. So off I went to study Arts/Law with my revised goal of one day joining the police force. One might say that my interest in the television series Blue Heelers was a major factor.

Fast forward many years, I never joined the police force and I have just given evidence in the Victorian Royal Commission in to Family Violence. It was neither a television show nor an extra-curricular activity that led me to this point.

My volunteer work at Women's Legal Service Victoria while a law a student confirmed an interest in people, their stories and a genuine desire to use, and a belief in, the law to try and make things a little better for people impacted by family violence.

Looking back over the years, my clients' experiences of the law have significantly changed as the legislative framework has dramatically evolved.

I remember once arguing that receiving unwanted presents and flowers at a workplace was harassment. This was met with: ‘What woman doesn't want to receive flowers?’ And then there was the time I insisted that SMS text messages should be included as a form of communication, to which the response was: ‘would you like me to add carrier pigeon?’

Luckily, these responses are rarer, but we still have a family violence system that is not perfect. It is good, but it can be better. That is why the work of Victoria Legal Aid in the context of the Royal Commission is so important.

'We have a unique opportunity to draw on our vast practice experience to improve the family violence system in Victoria.'

Leanne Sinclair

Working on Victoria Legal Aid’s written submission to the Royal Commission into Family Violence and preparing evidence to give at the hearings has caused me to reflect on the many clients over the years, and the more effective responses that could have been provided if we had a better resourced system. But mainly, the process has enlivened a bigger desire to not only make the justice system more responsive, but to try to prevent family violence from occurring in the first place.

This may be blue sky thinking, but I am motivated to doing all that I can to try and make a difference. And, I am fortunate to work at an organisation that is equally committed this goal