Community legal centres welcome the re-affirmation of Commonwealth commitment to legal assistance funding
18 December 2024
Community Legal Centres Australia has welcomed the Commonwealth’s re-affirmation of its funding contribution to the National Access to Justice Partnership agreement 2025-30 in today’s MYEFO and the increase in funding to community legal centres, while noting that this increased funding will still fall short of what is required to meet need in the community.
‘To the moon and back’ – Community legal services travel 1.3 million kilometres to support people in legal crisis
28 November 2024
Community Legal Centres Australia released its annual State of the Sector report, More than legal services: preventing crises, strengthening communities, at Parliament House today. The report highlights a year of high-impact work supporting people to untangle hundreds of thousands of legal problems and empowering communities with the tools to prevent crises. Funding progress and a new five-year funding agreement are also highlights.
Federal Government provides some certainty to a community legal sector in crisis ahead of national negotiations on new funding
6 September 2024
Community legal centres have acknowledged today’s announcement that the Federal Government will provide $3.9 billion to frontline legal assistance services over five years from 1 July 2025 as an encouraging first step towards ending the funding crisis putting vital community-based programs and staff roles at risk.
One thousand people a day left without help as national crisis deepens for frontline community legal services
20 August 2024
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.
Community legal centres call on Attorneys-General to commit to community wellbeing
5 July 2024
Community legal centre peak bodies have issued an open letter ahead of today’s meeting of the Standing Council of Attorneys-General (SCAG) calling on all state, territory, and federal Attorneys-General to commit to finalising a new legal assistance agreement that delivers increased funding and long-term funding security to the community legal sector by the end of 2024.
Community Legal Centres Australia welcomes NLAP report and calls on governments to respond swiftly to its recommendations
28 May 2024
Community Legal Centres Australia welcomes the release of the final report of the independent review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership (NLAP) agreement and calls on Commonwealth, state, and territory governments to respond swiftly and publicly to its recommendations.
Commonwealth’s failure to adequately invest in community legal centres sends sector a message to plan for winding down services
14 May 2024
Community Legal Centres Australia has described the Federal Government’s failure to make a sufficient investment in community legal centres for 2024-25, or to commit to ongoing legal assistance funding via the forward estimates, as a message to community legal centres that they should plan for winding down services.
Taking gendered violence seriously means funding services that keep women safe
30 April 2024
The community legal sector is calling on Commonwealth, state and territory governments to urgently invest in community legal centres so that they can keep their doors open and continue providing the services that women escaping violence rely on to stay safe.
Community legal centres in crisis — 1000 people turned away daily as demand surges
25 March 2024
Today, Community Legal Centres Australia launched a report at Parliament House, Canberra, detailing new data on the state of the community legal sector nationally.
This Mardi Gras season, underfunded community legal centres are being forced to turn away LGBTIQ+ people in desperate need of support
1 March 2024
Today, a group of specialist LGBTIQ+ community legal centres and Community Legal Centres Australia have written to members of the Expenditure Review Committee asking for Commonwealth Government investment in LGBTIQ+ safety this Mardi Gras season.
Community legal centres facing national workforce crisis and at risk of imminent service shutdowns without urgent Commonwealth funding
15 January 2024
Community Legal Centres Australia has today sent letters to key Commonwealth Government Ministers requesting their support for several budget measures crucial to keeping community legal centres’ doors open amidst a workforce crisis that is threatening access to justice for people and communities across Australia.
Community legal centres commit to supporting ongoing First Nations-led protest movements for justice and safety
24 October 2023: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community legal centre workers speak out on Australian racism in the wake of Voice referendum
The Australian community legal sector has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting First Nations justice movements, including work towards Treaty and Truth, as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community legal sector workers speak out on Australian racism in the wake of the referendum.
Governments must do more to protect communities from worsening climate disasters
5 October 2023
As climate change progresses, climate disasters are likely to increase in both frequency and severity. That such devastation is already so widespread in early spring is a dangerous sign for this coming summer and summers to come.
