Funding shortfall denies 400,000 of key legal service

Community legal centres turned away almost 400,000 people seeking legal advice because of funding shortfalls, including thousands experiencing domestic violence. Community Legal Centres Australia will release its annual state of the sector report at Parliament House on Thursday. Shocking findings include at least 3000 people impacted by domestic violence being declined help each week. More than 190,000 people were assisted by community legal centres in the past year. The 2023/24 year report found domestic and family violence legal support was the single largest area of need, making up to 50 per cent of the sector's work. Community legal staff travelled more than 1.2 million kilometres to reach and help people in regional and remote areas. The sector provides free legal and related help for victim-survivors of family violence, people experiencing homelessness, and parents resolving family law matters, among other vulnerable groups. Samantha Schulte, who turned to a community legal centre for help, said she never thought she would need to reach out for domestic violence support. "I was a shell of a person when I made it to Caxton Legal Centre. They believed and validated me and gave me all the support I needed over five years to find safety and resolve serious legal issues," she said. Community Legal Centres Australia chief executive Tim Leach said the nation's 165 services continued to play a vital role in preventing and resolving legal issues and crises. "The (report) shows us that even with additional investment this year, legal need in the community will still far exceed the capacity of community legal services," he said. "For the past two years, our sector has been forced to turn away over 1000 people in crisis every day. "We have yet to see the required investment from federal, state, and territory governments." 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14