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19 Torrens St Braddon
ACT 1612 || GPO Box 1989
Canberra ACT 2601
Telephone +61 2 6246 3788
Facsimilie +61 2 6248 0639
MR3209
29 October 2009
Law Council Tells Senate of Dramatic
Decline in Legal Aid Funding
Commonwealth funding for legal aid has been dropping sharply, with
figures
obtained by the Law Council
showing a steady decline since the
late 1990s.
In evidence provided this week to a Senate inquiry into access to justice,
the Law Council highlighted
that the Commonwealth’s
share of legal aid
funding has fallen by about 20 per cent between 1996/97 and 2009/10.
Law Council President John Corcoran said, “Virtually every organisation
that has provided evidence to this Senate inquiry has highlighted the fact
that the legal assistance sector is chronically underfunded. It is clearly an
issue the committee and the Government cannot ignore.”
“The Commonwealth Government has
largely been responsible for the
stagnation in legal aid funding since 1996,” Mr Corcoran said.
During
the period of 1996-97,
the
Commonwealth’s contribution,
out of a
total income for legal aid commissions around the country of $264 million,
was $128 million – or roughly 50 per cent of legal aid income.
In contrast, the Commonwealth’s contribution
in 2009/10
has dropped to
$168 million from a total expenditure
of $531
million –
a figure that
represents less than 32 per cent.
“The Law
Council is awaiting the findings of
the Legal and Constitutional
Affairs Committee’s report into Access to Justice, which is due
to be
released tomorrow. We
look forward to analysing its recommendations,
which we hope will provide a fresh impetus to calls for increased
Commonwealth legal aid funding,” Mr Corcoran concluded.
Media Contact:
Elenore Eriksson, Director Public Affairs
P. 02 6246 3716 || M. 0419 269 855
The Law Council of Australia exists to represent the legal profession
at the national level, to speak on behalf of its constituent bodies on
national issues, and to promote the administration of justice, access
to justice and general improvement of the law.
NEWS 
