The centre, which opened on Dimboola Road in December, is the first in the region. It houses staff from Corrections Victoria, the Victorian Sheriff's Office, Consumer Affairs Victoria, Refugee Programs and the Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Committee.

Consumer Affairs north-west region manager Michael Kheirallah said his department was able to help a range of consumers, including tenants, shoppers, traders and landlords.

"We have never had a presence in the north-west region before and now we are here for those disadvantaged communities to be more visible for people to access our services.

"People can book to come in or just walk in and ask to speak to us."

The department deals with consumer complaints, tenancy issues and conducts rooming house, rental property and shop inspections. It also offers a bilingual service for clients and conducts regular education seminars.

Mr Kheirallah said some of the big issues for the department this year would be rooming houses, travelling conmen and other scams.

"The things we deal with are needed for everyday life."

Consumer Affairs Victoria will launch an outreach service at the Migrant Resource Centre in St Albans on Thursday. Regional Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council executive officer Simon Flagg said his committee worked on projects to reduce Aboriginal contact with the justice system.

"We fund projects in the north to keep kids out of trouble and keep them fit and interested."

Projects include mentoring programs, organising social workers and sporting projects like the Fitzroy stars football team.

The committee also works closely with the Koori Court in Broadmeadows.