Leading and encouraginga national system
of legal aid Discover More
Engaging with governments, the community and others Discover More
Providing accessto important
statistical information Discover More
Leading and encouraging
a national system
of legal aid Discover More Engaging with governments, the
community and others Discover More Providing access
to important
statistical information Discover More
Read National Legal Aid’s newsletters
National Legal Aid welcomes key findings of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide. Key points of final report of the inquiry include the need for veterans to be supported by advocates when applying for compensation and praise for the work of the Defence and Veterans Legal Service (DAVLS). This free service is an initiative of National Legal Aid, the peak body for Australia’s eight legal aid commissions. DAVLS helped veterans make submissions to the Royal Commission and make applications for veteran compensation and other entitlements. DAVLS will close this month following the conclusion of the inquiry.
11/09/2024
National Legal Aid welcomes the announcement by National Cabinet of additional funding for legal assistance services and longer term funding certainty under a new Access to Justice Partnership.
06/09/2024
A landmark survey is underway to gain national data on the demographics and experiences Legal Aid Private Practitioners.
26/08/2024
The legal assistance sector is calling for an urgent funding commitment from the Federal Government to address the domestic violence crisis after the release of the Yearly Report on the Progress of the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022-2032. Legal Aid Commissions are a critical frontline service providing over 32,000 family law grants of aid and over 14,000 domestic and family violence related duty lawyer services nationally each year. An extra $317 million is needed annually to meet demand for assistance and stop women from being turned away by legal aid.
22/08/2024
National Legal Aid has commissioned Impact Economics and Policy to develop a funding options paper. This paper examines several options for increased legal assistance funding. It is intended to encourage conversations with government and other stakeholders concerned with legal assistance about what is possible, and to detail the risks and benefits of the options outlined. The options identified include a legal sector levy with a tiered approach based on how much legal assistance work law firms undertake, a social levy utilising gambling revenue and a HECS like loan system.
10/07/2024
A coalition of legal assistance services are calling on the Federal and State/Territory Governments to introduce a series of reforms to address the domestic and family violence crisis, including a family violence risk information scheme, investment in and coordination of legal assistance services and reforms to visas for victim-survivors of domestic and family violence.
03/06/2024
National Legal Aid welcomes the release of the NLAP Review Report. The Report acknowledges that the legal assistance sector has been under-resourced for more than a decade and its 39 recommendations outline a range of reforms that acknowledge this and aim to re-build the sector, both in terms of expanding service delivery capacity and in solidifying infrastructure, evidence and sustainability.
12/05/2024
National Legal Aid (NLA) welcomes the release of the final report of the Independent Review (the Review) of the National Legal Assistance Partnership (NLAP).
29/05/2024
Economic Justice Australia and National Legal Aid welcome the Federal Government’s new administrative review body, which passed the Senate today. The new Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) aims to better help people appeal government decisions and enable effective independent review of social security decisions.
28/05/2024
National Legal Aid welcomes indexation of National Legal Assistance Partnership (NLAP) core funding and the announcement of funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services, Family Violence Prevention Legal Services and Community Legal Centres to address workforce gaps.
15/05/2024
National Legal Aid welcomes the first ever release of national legal assistance data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as an important first step in providing the full picture of access to justice in Australia.
09/05/2024
National Legal Aid (NLA) has welcomed the MYEFO commitment to providing $17.1 million to Legal Aid Commissions across Australia in recognition of the ongoing impact of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA) reforms.
14/12/2023
The Power to Prevent Coalition welcomes the costs reforms introduced in parliament on 15 November 2023 by the Attorney General, The Hon Mark Dreyfus KC. The Bill will implement recommendation 25 of the Respect@Work Report.
04/12/2023
The Attorney General, The Hon Mark Dreyfus KC, has this month introduced a bill that aims to remove financial barriers that prevent victims of workplace discrimination and sexual harassment from seeking justice. This is a breakthrough development for victim-survivor rights to legal justice, and a significant change from the changes being considered by Government 12 months ago.
30/11/2023
National Legal Aid commissioned Impact Economics to provide updated modelling of the 2014 Productivity Commission Access to Justice Report recommendations as they pertain to Legal Aid. This report – Justice on the Brink – estimates that an increase of $484 million in Legal Aid funding per year is required to address the gaps identified in the Productivity Commission Report.
22/11/2023
National Legal Aid welcomes the passing of the Family Law Amendment Bill in Parliament today.
27/07/2023
First Nations lawyers, psychologists and people with a lived experience of trauma gather to ensure First Nations voices are at the centre of With You Training.
10/10/2023
National Legal Aid welcomes the final report of the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme and calls for the implementation of all 57 recommendations including a review of funding for legal assistance.
27/07/2023
Australia’s leading legal assistance and peak professional representative bodies are calling on the Commonwealth Government to keep justice within reach of our most disadvantaged, ahead of its mid-cycle review of funding for legal assistance services.
20/06/2023
National Legal Aid welcomes the significant Budget commitment to ending violence against women and children and its focus on ending violence against First Nations women and children.
10/05/2023
National Legal Aid has joined with Women’s Legal Services Australia in support of the Family Law Amendment Bill.
09/05/23
National Legal Aid supports the findings of the Independent National Security Monitor’s Review and calls for urgent consideration of its recommendations.
20/04/2023
