Representatives from over 160 community legal centres will launch a national campaign at Australian Parliament House that calls on the Federal Government to save the frontline legal services that support around 180,000 people each year, including women and children escaping family violence.

The Save Community Legal Centres Campaign will reveal that underfunded local legal services are turning away twice as many people every year as they can assist with current resources. A sector analysis shows that, without urgent investment, many will be forced to cut vital programs and some may not survive the next few years.

Exclusive YouGov polling reveals that 73% of Australians believe fair and equal access to the legal system is very important, while 65% strongly support the government ensuring people can get legal help if they can’t afford a private lawyer.

The new campaign is a community-wide response to the Federal Government’s failure to deliver additional funding in the 2024 Federal Budget and its slow progress in advancing a new national funding agreement. The current agreement ends on 30 June 2025.

Organisations backing the campaign include ACOSS, Australian Services Union, CHOICE, Financial Counselling Australia, Save the Children, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, Mission Australia, Amnesty International and the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.

The campaign calls on the Federal Government to take a leadership role in national funding negotiations and commit to three critical investments to save the community legal sector:

1. Immediate funding injection of $35 million to address the workforce crisis, as recommended by the Independent Review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership
2. Additional $135 million each year to sustainably address overall community demand
3. Additional $95 million each year to fully meet domestic and family violence demand

 

Community Legal Centres Australia Chairperson Arlia Fleming said community legal centres urgently need investment to survive.

“Community legal centres are frontline services in local communities that keep people safe and get them out of crisis. We assist almost 180,000 people annually but are forced to turn away twice that number, with 34% being victim-survivors of domestic and family violence.”

“The May Federal Budget failed to provide the urgent investment community legal centres need to survive or the long-term funding security to ensure people and communities will have access to legal assistance beyond 30 June 2025.”

“Community legal centres want to focus on helping people to stay safe, avoid eviction, fix financial problems, resolve family law issues, and in other important areas of people’s lives. Instead, they are making decisions about which programs and outreaches to cut back, which staff to let go, and when to close their waiting lists to new clients.”

Cairns Community Legal Centre CEO Elizabeth Behrend said that community legal centres ensure people can access free and timely support, particularly in rural, regional, and remote communities.

“People must have access to free and timely, place-based legal help wherever they live and whatever the size of their bank balance.”

“The current funding crisis means many legal services like ours are at risk of reducing outreach services to regional and remote communities. These communities risk losing access to services they desperately need.”

“It is time for the Federal Government to show real leadership and back the frontline services that keep women and children safe from violence, prevent evictions, resolve financial issues, and make the justice system fairer for all of us.”

Australian Services Union (ASU) Assistant National Secretary Emeline Gaske said, “The community legal sector provides crisis services to hundreds of people every day, but workforce skills and experience are not properly recognised – leading to many workers leaving the sector.”

“We are having a national conversation about women’s safety and eliminating family and domestic violence. Community legal centres play a critical role in making our community safer.”

“Frontline services like community legal centres can only deliver the high-quality services our communities need if they are properly funded and their staff are respected.”