The April 2026 edition of the Law Institute Journal features a profile of JobWatch Executive Director Zana Bytheway, written by journalist Karin Derkley.
April 30, 2026
The profile covers 25 years of Bytheway’s leadership of JobWatch and commitment to workplace fairness, tracing her path from part-time lawyer to Executive Director through periods of significant funding change and growing demand for the organisation’s services.
Direct service delivery. Since its establishment in 1980, JobWatch has helped more than 500,000 people through its free Telephone Information Service and legal practice and has recovered $7 million in wages and entitlements for clients.
Unmet demand Last financial year, JobWatch provided 13,841 Telephone Information Service assistances, with 52% of demand unmet, this highlights the gap between demand for employment law assistance and available resources. This is particularly concerning as economic pressures intensify and the need for accessible legal assistance grows. Sustained funding and strong partnerships are critical to expanding capacity and reducing barriers to assistance.
The student internship program. Established in 2012 after JobWatch lost 60% of its government funding, the program has trained more than 1,700 law students in employment law.
Law reform. The article highlights JobWatch’s joint advocacy with Fitzroy Legal Service and the Human Rights Law Centre for Victoria’s Spent Convictions Scheme, enacted in 2022, which reduces workplace discrimination against people with historical criminal records.
National expansion. Zana outlines the case for expanding JobWatch’s service delivery model to all states and territories. JobWatch already provides phone-based services to Victoria, Queensland and Tasmania and continues to receive calls from other states and territories.
Zana’s story is a reminder that community legal centres create real change in people’s lives, but the demand for assistance continues to outpace the resources available to meet it. The full article is available in the April 2026 Law Institute Journal.
Image by David Johns, provided by the Law Institute Journal, official publication of the Law Institute of Victoria.
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