Delivered through a variety of mechanisms, the money from federal and state governments is expected to amount to $3.9 billion over the coming 5 years.
A national legal aid program funded by all levels of the government has helped 430,000 Australians in 2023-24, new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows.
The National Legal Assistance Partnership’s scheme funds Legal Aid Commissions, Community Legal Centres, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services.
Almost a third of clients (139,193) received more than one service in that year. In total, 819,370 legal assistance services were completed during the year, covering only clients whose services were completed within the period.
The most common type of assistance was legal advice, provided to 318,765 people—almost three in four clients.
Over half (52 percent) were female, while 45 percent were male. Half were aged from 25 to 49, and a third identified as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
A total of 69,869, or 16 percent of the total, received assistance from a duty solicitor in a court proceeding. Of that group, 58 percent were male and 41 percent female. The most common age group was 35 to 49…
Read the full article here