From everyone here at the ALS, we're wishing our clients, community and supporters a happy and safe holiday season.
Our staff will be taking a short break over Christmas and New Year to rest and recharge.
All ALS offices will be closed from 5pm Friday 22 December 2023. Our phone lines will be back open from 9am Tuesday 2 January 2024.
During this first week of the year, it's best to reach us over the phone as most ALS offices will still have their doors closed. Please call us on 1800 765 767 or your local office number (if no one is in, your call will be forwarded to another ALS office).
Our Newcastle (criminal law), Redfern (criminal law) and Greater Sydney Aboriginal Tenants Service (GSATS) offices will open their doors from 9am Tuesday 2 January 2024. All other offices will re-open from Monday 8 January 2024.
Stay safe and deadly over the holidays. See you next year!
Need help while we're closed?
Legal matters
LawAccess NSW is available on 1300 888 529 weekdays (excluding public holidays). Legal Aid NSW's Duty Lawyer Scheme will provide representation for people with bail hearings over the Christmas and New Year period.
As usual, the ALS Custody Notification Service (CNS) will continue to operate 24/7 throughout the holidays. It is a requirement for police in NSW and the ACT to call the CNS whenever an Aboriginal person is taken into custody.
Housing matters
Call the Tenants' Union advice line on 1800 251 101 (open 10am-1pm and 2pm-5pm Wednesday 27 December to Friday 29 December) or check the Tenants' Union website for information.
Other kinds of support
Several crisis support services including 13YARN (13 92 76) continue to run 24/7 during the holidays. Check out the list of services on our website or visit Ask Izzy to find a service near you.