National Legal Aid welcomes funding for the Child Support Scheme, Ending Gender Based Violence and the NDIS Appeals Program, but flags concern the budget fails to address the ongoing crisis in funding for Legal Aids.
In this joint statement, Community Legal Centres Australia, the Law Council of Australia, National Legal Aid and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services urge the Australian Government to allow sufficient time to genuinely consult on amendments, safeguards and implementation relating to the proposed reforms to the NDIS. Government must work with people with disability and the disability sector to secure the NDIS by strengthening trust, safeguards and rights - not by rushing changes before their consequences are understood and planned for.
National Legal Aid welcomed the Australian Government’s commencement of consultation on the Second Action Plan under the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children 2022–2032. We commend the Government’s continued commitment to driving action to address gender-based violence and are grateful for the opportunity work closely with Government to ensure the Plan delivers practical, system-wide improvements.
National Legal Aid welcomes the continuation of much-needed funding for people with disability to access legal support to navigate complex NDIS review and appeal processes.
National Legal Aid welcomes the announcement in the Federal Budget of $182.6 million over four years from 2026-27 and $19.6 million ongoing from 2030–31 to address issues of weaponisation, financial abuse and non-compliance in the Child Support Scheme. As the main provider of child support legal assistance nationally, Legal Aids acknowledge the significant positive impact these reforms will have on vulnerable women and children.
This media release welcomes the third release of national legal assistance data by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and highlights the increasing and critical role of Legal Aid in providing family law services
In this media release, National Legal Aid expresses deep concern about potential cuts to legal assistance for victim-survivors of domestic and family violence in the upcoming Federal Budget.
