Advocate Adelaide provides free, confidential and non-judgmental support to people who are experiencing or have experienced domestic or family violence. Support workers can provide information, advocacy and counselling and referrals to other services. The service is available to anyone in South Australia, and is delivered by a team of experienced advocates including social workers and psychologists. Advocates work on a voluntary basis and can help you make decisions and access health, legal and welfare services. Advocates are also trained in crisis response and can assist with mediation and court representation. Advocates can be reached 24/7 and are staffed by phone, email or in person.
Survivors & Mates Support Network (SAMSN) is a community organisation that aims to increase the awareness of the effect childhood sexual abuse can have on men in their adult lives. They are committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for men who have been affected by sexual assault and abuse, as well as their partners and families. The organisation provides face to face and phone counselling and advocacy in Adelaide and 7 country regions.
A lawyer in South Australia has been awarded a $750,000 payout after taking a woman to court for a negative review she posted on Google. Gordon Cheng was forced to pay the damages in a defamation case at the Supreme Court of South Australia after the woman, Isabel Lok, claimed she was a former client of his and caused him “significant distress, anxiety and financial hardship”.
The judge found that when the one-star review by Lok appeared on Google in December 2018, it was a false statement about him. He told the court that he lost about 80 per cent of his clients and suffered substantial losses from the posting. He had been a lawyer since 1992 and relied on word-of-mouth referrals.
When the bad review was spotted, he issued a complaint to Google and sent a letter of concern to Lok. However, she did not take the post down and changed her name to Bel, then Cindy, then Peter, which was her father’s name, he said. The judge awarded him damages of $750,000 for the reputational damage he suffered.
The Public Advocate learn more here, a statutory officer, helps to carry out laws that relate to adults who cannot make their own decisions and who may require assisted or substitute decision-making. The Public Advocate can also act on behalf of children who cannot speak for themselves or are at risk of being abused or neglected. Its office is separate from the SA Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT). Find out more about what the Public Advocate does here.