KJB Law

19/08/2026

Hi all - if you're interested in finding out more information about navigating the ageing journey then the lovely ladies from the Senior and Aged Care Living Transition Directory ("Salt") are hosting an Expo at LDK Amberfield on 27 August 2026 starting at 10 am. It's a ticketed event (but free) - https://lnkd.in/gaVHmK4n

I will be at the event all day as well as on one of the panel sessions where myself and other professionals will be available to answer your burning questions!

I will be at the event all day as well as on one of the panel ses

10/08/2026

BREAKING NEWS | ABC News reports Canberra homelessness services rise, by LILY NOTHLING, ABC News Online

August 7, 7.41 am

IT'S often dubbed an invisible crisis, but in one of Australia's most affluent and progressive cities, evidence of homelessness is becoming harder to ignore.

"People don't want to look at it, because it's gritty, and it's hard, and it's hard to fix," Havelock Housing chief executive Kylie Maiden said.

"But you only have to walk through Garema Place to see that it's not invisible — there are a lot of people sleeping rough in this city in very cold, cold winters."

Across Canberra, homelessness services are reporting an increase in demand tied to the cost of living.

★ ★ ★

Vinnies Night Patrol hits the road 364 nights a year, with volunteers in vans supplying food, hot drinks, toiletries, warm clothes, and bedding to those in need.

Last financial year, the service provided more than 19,000 instances of support in Canberra and Queanbeyan — a 38 per cent jump on the previous year.

The van's busiest stop is in Civic.

"It can get up to maybe 50 or 60 people here, and we just end up giving out black coffee because we run out of milk," volunteer team leader Angus Hutchinson said.

The number of material items Night Patrol provides to keep people warm and comfortable overnight has also increased by 58 per cent in one year. "People say that I'm only two pay cheques removed from coming out here," Mr Hutchinson said.

● FULL STORY HERE:
abc.net.au/news/2026-08-07/canberra-homelessness-services-rise-public-housing/107004258

● ALL PHOTOS: LILY NOTHLING/ABC News

22/07/2026

JO TWIBLE, one of our Principals, writes about her experience sleeping out at Vinnies Australia CEO Sleepout in Canberra:

"ON THURSDAY, June 18, at 6pm, after initially getting a little lost (hey, it was dark), I found my way to the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House — the venue for the sleepout. You might be thinking: "MOAD — how rough and tough could it be?" You’d be right — it could've been worse.

Those of us sleeping out weren’t on the street in middle of Dickson huddling in shop doorways, but it wasn’t comfort and luxury either.

After initially catching up with some of our amazing Women Building Change team, we set up our sleeping bags.

The set-up for sleeping was in an internal open-aired courtyard. Like many homeless, we had some cover from the elements as the courtyard had covered concrete verandas — think a 2-metre or so deep awning — enough not to have the rain come straight down on you, not enough to have the rain spray not hit your face depending on which way the wind was blowing.

● READ JO'S COMPLETE ACCOUNT ON OUR HOMEPAGE: kjblaw.co.au

● PLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION, OF ANY SIZE — EVERYTHING IS SO MUCH APPRECIATED AND USEFUL.

● CLICK ON THE QR CODE AT THE PAGE TOP; IT'LL TAKE YOU STRAIGHT TO JO'S SLEEPOUT PAGE.

● THANK YOU SO MUCH!

● Jo is part of the dynamic Women Building Change team (several members, including Jo, pictured below).
At our home page, kjblaw.com.au, you can follow the amazing tallies of what they have raised to help the homeless.

03/06/2026

THE BUDGET THE NIGHT BEFORE SHOOK EVERYONE UP | Our combined retirement living forum held last month on the morning after the Federal Budget was announced, meant that many concerned people turned up with Budget-related questions.

For example, one area of common concern was the proposed changes to taxation of discretionary trusts. To immediately address this, Jo Twible distributed a budget update pamphlet (see the contents of the pamphlet on our homepage at kjblaw.com.au).

All the speakers were quick off the mark to address Budget concerns, and stressed most commentators were still coming to grips with much of the detail.

I you have concerns about the Budget affects you, have a look at ABC News Online's breakdown of the Budget broken into categories as a quick reference guide. Find out if you're among the Budget winners or losers: www.abc.net.au/news/2026-05-12/federal-budget-2026-winners-and-losers/106639966. KJB staff will be happy to sit down with you and go through any concerns.

Apart from the Budget, other areas of retirement village living were on the agenda, and the program featured specialists in the legal, finance, and human rights fields advising on key considerations when moving into and living in a retirement village.

● FULL STORY on our homepage at kjblaw.com.au

BELOW: Luisa Capezio, of Phillips Wealth Partners, interviews village residents about their personal experiences.

03/06/2026

For those looking for the link:

This June, I’m taking part in the 2026 Vinnies CEO Sleepout to help people facing homelessness – and I’d love your support. For one night, I’ll give up my bed and sleep out on cardboard to gain a small insight into what too many people experience every day. Will you donate to help me reach m...

03/06/2026

STAFF ACHIEVEMENTS | On May 22, the ACT Law Society announced the winners of the 2026 Law Week Service Awards and we're thrilled to say that Jo Twible is a winner!

She was honoured for many things, including "strengthening protections for vulnerable older people, improving public understanding of legal rights, and enhancing trust in the legal profession".

Fellow principal Andrew Freer said: "All the team at KJB Law were thrilled that our very own Jo received the well-deserved recognition at the ACT Law Society Awards night.

"Jo is a hard working lawyer, of high integrity, but also someone who's modest, so it's wonderful she's been honoured by her peers in this way. Well done, Jo!"

● FULL STORY on our homepage at kjblaw.com.au

Photo: Louise Bagger

03/06/2026

As we've posted previously, our Jo Twible is doing the Vinnie's CEO Sleepout this year to fundraise to support their efforts in assisting the homeless.

If you have already donated to support this amazing organisation, thank you.

If you haven't already donated, end of Financial Year is fast approaching and it's a great time to make an additional donation. Better yet, the Lidia Perin Foundation will be matching donations made TOMORROW, 4 June 2026 from 8 am on a dollar for dollar basis any individual donation below $1000.00 until they reach their $50,000 dollar matching limit. Just think of it - you donate $20 and a total of $40 is donated, you donate $50 and a total of $100 is donated; you donate $100 and a total of $200 is actually donated.

If you can, shortly after 8 am tomorrow, please reach for your phone and make a donation - doesn't matter how small - every dollar helps!

Here's a link to the where you can donate!

This June, I’m taking part in the 2026 Vinnies CEO Sleepout to help people facing homelessness – and I’d love your support. For one night, I’ll give up my bed and sleep out on cardboard to gain a small insight into what too many people experience every day. Will you donate to help me reach m...

09/05/2026

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers (and mother figures) out there! Hope your families show you their love today (and every day)!

On a more somber note, as some of you know, our Jo Twible is doing the Vinnie's CEO sleepout this year. We often see homeless but don't see homelessness. Last weekend, Jo was away in Brisbane; she saw lots of homeless people bedding down in doorways in the middle of the city, doing their best to ignore passersby and just get some sleep.

Last night she went out to Dickson to catch up with a mate for his birthday... Dickson... in Canberra. Walking from where she parked to where she met her friend, she again saw homeless people tucked into doorways (generally fully covered under a doona or sleeping bag), doing their best to ignore the people walking by. Jo remarks "I can tell you it was an ice bucket more cold last night than it was in Brisbane the previous weekend and these people were facing an icy night."

As part of the CEO sleepout, Jo is part of an awesome group called 'Women Building Change'. The fundraising activities these women are doing for the Sleepout is amazing. Before Jo joined, they'd already organised and hosted a movie night. There's a Comedy Night coming up (see below).

As individuals, we can't solve homelessness; as a community, we can help those organizations who do tireless work on the ground to help put a roof over the heads of people who don't have one or to help them stay warm, safe and fed.

What do we ask of you? There are three ways you can help Vinnie's with their work:

1. If you want to help (and have a good night out), think about coming along to the Comedy Night that's been organised for the 28th May (see the link below). Tickets are obtained by donating (see the link below) and putting 'Comedy Ticket x 1' (or however many you want. Tickets are $99.

2. If $99 is too much (and we 100% realise it can be), think about donating what you can afford - $5 can still help ($2 can still help). Donations are tax deductible.

3. Think about sharing this post so that we're maximising people seeing it (particularly, if you're not in a position to donate, maybe some of your friends/network are?)

If you can assist, that would be great. Link to Jo's y page on the Sleepout website for donations (including those for the Comedy night) is here: https://lnkd.in/gFWbJGiC

Details of the Comedy Night are:

30/04/2026

Our Jo Twible was asked by a friend to do the Vinnie’s CEO sleepout. After thinking long and hard about it (about 20 seconds) she said ‘damn it, I should just do it’.

Homelessness is real, even in as comparatively affluent a city as Canberra. This is a cause close to Jo’s heart. In her youth, she experienced being poor - not knowing if her Mum would be able to cover the rent, not being able to afford a paid of sneakers (at one point asking her friends to chip in together to get her a pair for my 21st).

“I’ve know poor” says Jo “ but homelessness I’ve never had the misfortune to know. There are many in our community who have also done it tough over the years.”

If you can, please support Jo during the Vinnies CEO Sleepout. Your donation will help the St Vincent de Paul Society empower more people to get off the streets and into stable accommodation. Vinnies provides counselling, education, health and employment services to help people to lift themselves out of the cycle of poverty.

Every donation is meaningful. Just 100 dollars can provide a whole family with warm, nutritious meals this winter. Any amount is helpful!

https://www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/jotwible

Thank you for your support

22/04/2026

We're so pleased to hear the announcement made by the Federal Health Minister today regarding the proposed re-classification of personal services such as showering, dressing and continence care to be fully fundable supports under the Aged Care Support at Home system.

Their original classification as Independence Supports (a type of support requiring a co-contribution) made us extremely concerned that older members of our community might be faced with having to make a decision to forgo having assistance to shower because they simply could not afford it.

Stay tuned for more information as is comes to hand around this and other proposed welcome changes to the Aged Care Act.