May 12, 2016
Family violence legal assistance announcement manifestly inadequate, community lawyers say
Today’s Federal Government announcement of $30 million over three years for family violence legal assistance will fail to reverse cuts to community legal centres and is manifestly inadequate to meet the needs of women seeking protection from family violence, according to the Federation of Community Legal Centres, the Victorian peak body representing more than a quarter of Australia’s 200 community legal centres.
READ MOREMay 03, 2016
Budget fails on urgently needed funding for free legal help for vulnerable people
Tonight’s Federal Budget has seen no new investment in community legal centres, leaving in place a national 30 per cent cut set to commence in July 2017. In failing on free legal help for people who can’t afford a lawyer or get legal aid, the Federal Government has ignored a central recommendation of the Productivity Commission for an urgent annual boost to national funding for combined free legal assistance services of $200 million a year.
READ MOREMay 03, 2016
Community lawyers urge caution over claims of new legal assistance funding not detailed in Budget
Community lawyers have urged caution and called for full funding of all family violence services following claims by Senator Michaelia Cash on ABC radio (from 6.44) that community legal centres can expect a share of broader family violence funding* from the Federal Budget that was not allocated to legal assistance services.
READ MOREMay 02, 2016
Federal Government flags Budget failure on vital funding boost needed for free legal help
The Federal Government has flagged its failure on community legal centre funding in tomorrow’s Federal Budget by ignoring a central recommendation of the Productivity Commission for an urgent annual boost to national funding for combined free legal assistance services of $200 million a year.
READ MOREApril 27, 2016
Vic Govt boosts free legal help, but should do more
Today’s State Budget has included a modest one-year boost of $2.5 million to help community legal centres tackling family violence, and one-year $400,000 funding for specialist community legal centre JobWatch, but more sustained investment is needed, according to the Federation of Community Legal Centres, the peak body for 50 community legal centres in Victoria.
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