THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
Abbott Government's mean-spirited cuts to legal assistance
Cuts by the Abbott Government to vital legal assistance services under a proposed funding agreement with State and Territory Governments will hurt the most vulnerable Australians.
It has been revealed today that thousands of women experiencing family violence in NSW, Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania will miss out on vital assistance for family law services under a leaked draft national partnership agreement.
Under the draft agreement given to State Governments ahead of the June 30 deadline for a new deal, NSW Legal Aid faces a cut of $16.7 million over five years. This is on top of cuts of $12 million a year to community legal centre funding after 2017. Both the Redfern Legal Centre and the HIV/Aids Legal Centre have this week been forced to make public appeals for funds.
With only six weeks remaining for a new legal assistance deal to be reached, the Abbott Government is putting at risk the future of services on the frontline in helping vulnerable Australians.
Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the Coalition was proposing a mean-spirited deal that created winners and losers because it was not prepared to properly fund legal assistance services across Australia.
This is chaos, Mr Dreyfus said.
There is no long-term plan to help vulnerable Australians facing legal problems. At a time of increasing demand for these vital services, it is not a time to be slashing funding.
Less than two months ago when community outrage finally forced the Abbott Government to reverse its vicious MYEFO cuts to legal assistance, Senator Brandis declared:
The Community Legal Centres are very often the front line against domestic violence, they are an extremely valuable resource, the Commonwealth has always funded them, or contributed to the funding of them. And I'm delighted to be able to, particularly from the perspective of the Community Legal Centres that does such wonderful work in dealing with the consequences of domestic violence, I'm delighted to be able to announce the restoration of their funding.
PRESS CONFERENCE 26 MARCH 2015
Why then has Senator Brandis now decided that this vital funding will be brutally cut again just as soon as the funding agreements put in place by Labor expire?
Labor has offered to work with the Prime Minister to hold a National Crisis Summit on Family Violence and announced a $70 million interim package of measures to make sure women get the legal support they need and can access critical services.
This includes:
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Almost $50 million to legal services, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services to ensure women suffering from family violence have appropriate legal support;
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Initial investment of $15 million in Safe at Home grants to help people affected by family violence stay safe in their own home; and
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An investment of $8 million to improve perpetrator accountability, tracking and diversion strategies to prevent violence.
TUESDAY, 19 MAY 2015
