❓ Hon Sophia Moermond asks about the renewal of the National Legal Assistance Partnership and government support for WA's community legal centres assisting women escaping family violence. The Attorney General confirms the state government is seeking renewal and has significantly increased funding to community legal centres.
AnsweredQoN 525Legislative Council
Asked
16 May 2024
Member
Portfolio
parliamentary secretary representing the Attorney General
QuestionView source ↗
FAMILY AND DOMESTIC
VIOLENCE — NATIONAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE PARTNERSHIP
525. Hon SOPHIA MOERMOND to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Attorney General:
I refer to the National Legal
Assistance Partnership between the commonwealth and state governments.
(1) With the program due to expire
in 2025, will the state government push to see this funding renewed?
(2) How is the
government supporting WA's community legal centres, particularly for
those women escaping family violence?
VIOLENCE — NATIONAL LEGAL ASSISTANCE PARTNERSHIP
525. Hon SOPHIA MOERMOND to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Attorney General:
I refer to the National Legal
Assistance Partnership between the commonwealth and state governments.
(1) With the program due to expire
in 2025, will the state government push to see this funding renewed?
(2) How is the
government supporting WA's community legal centres, particularly for
those women escaping family violence?
AnswerView source ↗
I
thank the member for some notice of the question. The following answer has been
provided by the Attorney General.
(1) Yes. The state government is working with the
commonwealth and the other state and territory governments to agree to a
new five-year funding agreement post-30 June 2025. The National Legal
Assistance Partnership 2020–25 is a five-year national partnership
agreement between the Australian government and all states and territories for
commonwealth funded legal assistance.
(2) The state
government strongly supports WA's community legal centres and
acknowledges the integral role they play in
providing legal assistance services to people experiencing vulnerability and
disadvantage . This state government has overseen state and commonwealth
investment in the community legal sector significantly increase from
approximately $10.7 million in 2016–17 to approximately $27 million in 2023–24. The majority of this increase has
been as a result of state funding. The state government allocated additional community legal sector baseline funding of more than $4.5 million
for each of the 2023–24 and 2024–25 financial years to support
the sector's capacity to deliver services.
''Women'' and ''people''
experiencing, or at risk of, family violence are identified as priority client
groups in the state government's legal assistance strategy. In addition
to community legal sector baseline funding, the state government currently
provides funding to community legal centres via a number of specialist programs
to assist women who are experiencing, or at risk of, family violence,
including: wraparound legal and social support services for women exiting
prison who have experienced or are at risk of family and domestic violence; registrar-facilitated shuttle conferencing
between parties contesting family violence restraining orders; and Perth
metropolitan family violence prevention legal services for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander People, with the commonwealth funding services in
regional Western Australia.
thank the member for some notice of the question. The following answer has been
provided by the Attorney General.
(1) Yes. The state government is working with the
commonwealth and the other state and territory governments to agree to a
new five-year funding agreement post-30 June 2025. The National Legal
Assistance Partnership 2020–25 is a five-year national partnership
agreement between the Australian government and all states and territories for
commonwealth funded legal assistance.
(2) The state
government strongly supports WA's community legal centres and
acknowledges the integral role they play in
providing legal assistance services to people experiencing vulnerability and
disadvantage . This state government has overseen state and commonwealth
investment in the community legal sector significantly increase from
approximately $10.7 million in 2016–17 to approximately $27 million in 2023–24. The majority of this increase has
been as a result of state funding. The state government allocated additional community legal sector baseline funding of more than $4.5 million
for each of the 2023–24 and 2024–25 financial years to support
the sector's capacity to deliver services.
''Women'' and ''people''
experiencing, or at risk of, family violence are identified as priority client
groups in the state government's legal assistance strategy. In addition
to community legal sector baseline funding, the state government currently
provides funding to community legal centres via a number of specialist programs
to assist women who are experiencing, or at risk of, family violence,
including: wraparound legal and social support services for women exiting
prison who have experienced or are at risk of family and domestic violence; registrar-facilitated shuttle conferencing
between parties contesting family violence restraining orders; and Perth
metropolitan family violence prevention legal services for Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander People, with the commonwealth funding services in
regional Western Australia.
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