1. Community legal centres and Legal Aid Matters
James Farrell OAM
Tuesday 17 May 2016

2. Queensland’s community legal centres
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3. Queensland community legal centres’ practice
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4. Top 5 areas of assistance
Casework
Offences against property
Family/domestic violence
Child contact and residency
Government/ administrative law
Credit and debt
Legal advice:
Child contact and residency
Family/domestic violence
Other civil law
Family law (property)
Tenancy law
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5. Queensland’s Community Legal Centres
Our ‘average’ client
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Female, aged 35-49
Receives less than $500 per week (many have dependent children)
Doesn’t live in traditional stable housing/home
One in six tell us they have a disability
Casework clients
48% of family law clients experience violence
22% Indigenous
One third in RRR areas
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6. We can’t help three in five of the people who need our help
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7. 27%

8. Complementing the role of Legal Aid
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9. Volunteers and pro bono lawyers
Each week:
1,595 volunteers
3,383 volunteer hours of work
Many rely on volunteers and structured partnerships with law firms who work pro bono

10. Volunteers and pro bono lawyers
12 centres have pro bono partnership
22,444 hours pro bono work
18,145 hours direct client services
Many rely on volunteers and structured partnerships with law firms who work pro bono

11. What do community legal centres need?
Reverse funding cuts
Implement Productivity Commission’s recommendation: inject $200 million per year into legal assistance services
Process for determining adequate and sustainable longer-term funding
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12. What do other services need?
Legal Aid – see #LegalAidMatters
Increase to 50% of funding
Productivity Commission recommendations
Reverse cuts to ATSILS ($4m)
Proper support for Aboriginal Family Violence Prevention Legal Services
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