The Department of Justice has conducted an overhaul of funding arrangements for the State’s Community Legal Centres.
Attorney General, John Quigley said there were 25 centres across metropolitan and regional areas offering access to legal assistance for disadvantaged and vulnerable Western Australians.
“Under the new four-year agreements, Community Legal Centres will have greater funding security with most now receiving an equal proportion of Commonwealth and State funding,” Mr Quigley said.
“Payment and reporting requirements have also been simplified to alleviate administration burdens on the sector.”
He said the centres had been collaborating with the Department to develop a sophisticated funding framework to ensure future allocations were applied to areas of greatest need.
“This will take account of differences between each region when it comes to legal needs, population groups, remoteness and the cost of delivering services,” Mr Quigley said.
“We are delighted to be delivering extra funding of almost $2 million for Western Australia’s Community Legal Centres, which help people access the legal help they need.”
He said the funds would target frontline legal services and support sustainability measures in the sector.
Mr Quigley said Community Legal Centre funding from the State and Commonwealth Governments would rise from $13 million last financial year to $14.85 million in 2021-22 and would be maintained at similar levels through to 2024-25.
