About us

Seniors Rights Service is a community legal centre that protects the rights of older people. We provide telephone advice, advocacy, legal advice and educational services.

Can we help?

Do you have questions about navigating the aged care system? Find out how we can help you.

Contact Seniors Rights Service

Contact us by phone or email from 9am to 4:30pm on weekdays. All calls are confidential and your privacy will be protected.

We are a service for older people in New South Wales. We offer advocacy, information and legal advice including:
Telephone and face-to-face advocacy
 for people getting aged care services at home or in an aged care home
Legal advice and advocacy for people living in retirement villages
Legal advice and information to all older people in NSW.
Seniors Rights Service is a community legal service and is accredited by the National Association of Community Legal Centres.
Seniors Rights Service is run by a Management Committee comprised of community and professional representatives as well as clients and staff.
Advocacy services
Seniors Rights Service is an advocacy service for people living in aged care homes or receiving in-home care. This means offering free and confidential support to aged care recipients and also promoting the rights of older people to aged care service providers. These services are funded under the National Aged Care Advocacy Program (NACAP).
Seniors Rights Service operates in NSW only. See the National Advocacy Network for contact details for similar agencies in other states.
The National Aged Care Advocacy Program (NACAP)
The NACAP is a free and confidential service that promotes the rights of people receiving aged care services. It aims to:
Provide information and advice about the rights and responsibilities of aged care recipients
Support older people to be involved in decisions affecting their lives
Assist residents to resolve problems or complaints about the aged care home where they live
Promote the rights of older people to the wider community.
The NACAP is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health.
Legal advice
Seniors Rights Service offers legal assistance to older people through the Older Persons’ Legal Service (OPLS) and the Retirement Village Legal Service.

Older Persons’ Legal Service (OPLS)

OPLS provides legal advice, assistance, referral and education for older people throughout NSW including rural, regional and remote areas. This service is for people over 60, particularly those who are socially or economically disadvantaged.

OPLS solicitors give advice on:
Consumer issues

Debt management
Certain contractual matters and unfair contracts
Provision of goods and services.
Human rights matters

Age discrimination
Financial abuse, including by relatives and carers
Assistance gaining access to the administration of State and Commonwealth law and programs.
Alternative decision-making

Issues involving the capacity to make financial and non-financial care decisions
Legal advice and assistance on Powers of Attorney and Enduring Guardianship issues.

How does OPLS operate?

OPLS is a small legal team with a remit to assist older people who are disadvantaged. To broaden its reach, OPLS partners with Legal Aid NSW to deliver the Older Persons’ Legal and Education Program. This program aims to improve older people’s access to legal services through advice, assistance, advocacy, representation, referral and education. Legal Aid also offers a number of publications relating to legal issues for older people.

If your legal matter falls outside Seniors Rights Service’s remit, we can provide you with a copy of our referral list of private solicitors by email or post. It details which areas of law the solicitors have experience in. Some of the firms provide discounts to our callers: these discounts are also listed.

Contact OPLS to discuss your issue:
Ph: 1800 424 079
Fax: (02) 9281 3672
Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS): 13 14 50

Alternatively you can call the NSW Law Society Solicitor Referral Service on 02 9926 0300.

Retirement Village Legal Service

This specialist service provides legal advice and assistance to residents of retirement villages in all aspects of retirement village law. The solicitors also visit retirement villages to conduct seminars to educate residents about their rights and responsibilities and to provide information about Seniors Rights Service.

Contact the Retirement Village Legal Service to discuss your issue:
Ph: 1800 424 079
Fax: (02) 9281 3672
Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS): 13 14 50
Seniors Rights Service aged care advocates and solicitors travel across NSW to hold information sessions for aged care homes, retirement villages and community groups. These sessions aim to raise awareness about the rights of – and common concerns among – older people living in aged accommodation or receiving in-home care.

The sessions are offered to service providers and service users and their relatives and carers, as well as in-home aged care service providers, seniors groups, professional groups and others.

Popular topics are:

Aged care advocacy
Retirement village living
Legal issues affecting older people
Seniors Rights Service – who we are and what we do
Supporting diversity

Seniors Rights Service also delivers online information sessions via Skype and webinars.

The Older Persons’ Legal and Education Program

This program aims to improve older people’s access to legal services through advice, assistance, advocacy, representation, referral and education. The program is delivered by Seniors Rights Service in partnership with Legal Aid NSW.

Seniors Rights Service speakers list

Seniors Rights Service maintains a list of people who have expertise in dispute resolution and how to use complaint handling bodies and related agencies. These speakers are happy to give talks to community groups and agencies, not-for-profit organisations, government and non-government agencies, social groups and business and professional groups.

Supporting diversity

Seniors Rights Service offers information sessions about respectful treatment of aged care recipients who come from diverse communities including people who are:

Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD)
Indigenous
Care givers
Live in remote locations
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transexual or intersex (LGBTI).

See the Seniors Rights Service publications Q&A for LGBTI and Multilingual Information Sheet for more information.

Community education and events

Seniors Rights Service provides information, publications and advice about the rights of older people at expos, open days, forums and conferences.

To book a Seniors Rights Service information session, fill in the booking form or contact:

Manager Education, Promotion & Special Projects
Seniors Rights Service
Level 4, 418A Elizabeth St. 
Surry Hills, NSW 2010

Phone: 1800 424 079

Fax number: (02) 9281 3672

Email: Click here for a full list of upcoming educational events.