Funding boost welcome for legal services supporting women and those experiencing mental health issues

The Law Council of Australia is pleased that the Australian Government has announced additional funding for Australia’s legal assistance sector, with a focus on improving access to justice for women and those experiencing mental health issues.

Key funding measures in the 2021-22 Budget will provide a range of further legal assistance resourcing under the National Legal Assistance Partnership, including:

• $129 million over four years for women’s legal services to increase their capacity to women, including those experiencing, or at risk of, family violence;
• $17.1 million over four years to Domestic Violence Units and Health Justice Partnerships, to deliver additional mental health specific services for women who have experienced family and domestic violence; and
• $60 million over four years for the legal assistance sector to provide support to people experiencing mental health conditions.

“The legal assistance sector has been chronically underfunded over many years, and this Budget is a step in the right direction towards a greater recognition of the critical role these services play in providing access to justice for some our most vulnerable communities,” said President of the Law Council, Dr Jacoba Brasch QC. Read more. 

The Law Council of Australia issued additional media statements in relation to the Federal Budget 2021-22. 

• Significant funding for Federal Courts applauded; and
• Federal Budget 2021 – Investment in tackling sexual harassment.

LCA Submissions

Recently published Law Council Submissions. 

• Supporting older Australians - exempting granny flat arrangements from Capital Gains Tax (CGT), Treasury.
• Review into the operation of section 22 of the NSI Act as it applies in the 'Alan Johns' matter, Independent National Security Legislation Monitor. 
• Establishment of an Accreditation Scheme for Children’s Contact Services, Attorney-General’s Department. 
• ParentsNext: examination of Social Security (Parenting payment participation requirements - class of persons) instrument 2021, Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights.

Section Submissions

Recently published Section Submissions. 

• 2021 Review of the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, (Business Law Section)

Inquiries and consultations

As of 7 May 2021.

• (Supplementary) Inquiry on the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Standards and Assurance) Bill 2021, Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee.
• Establishment of an accreditation system for Children’s Contact Services, Attorney-General's Department.
• Regulator Performance Guide, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
• (Supplementary) Inquiry into extremist movements and radicalism in Australia, Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.
• Enhance and Enable - Indigenous Knowledge Consultations 2021, IP Australia.
• Your Future, Your Super Regulations and associated measures, The Treasury.
• Review of direct cross-examination ban - Family Law Act 1975, Attorney-General's Department

  Australia's Humanitarian Program 2021-22, Department of Home Affairs.

• Review of Model Defamation Provisions – Stage 2: Discussion Paper, Attorneys-General.

• Review of Judicial Impartiality, Australian Law Reform Commission.

• National Register of Enduring Powers of Attorney, Attorney-General's Department.

• OECD NCP Peer Review, The Treasury.

• Developing the next National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children, Department of Social Services.

• Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, Royal Commission.

• Review of the Legislative Framework for Corporations and Financial Services Regulation, Australian Law Reform Commission.

News and Media 

Media releases/statements:

• Law Council calls for expanded oversight by IGIS and PJCIS, 6 May 2021. 
• Funding boost welcome for legal services supporting women and those experiencing mental health issues, 12 May 2021. 
• Significant funding for Federal Courts applauded, 12 May 2021. 
• Federal Budget 2021 – Investment in tackling sexual harassment, 12 May 2021. 

​Key coverage:

• Budget 2021: How the profession is reacting, Lawyers Weekly, 12 May 2021. 
• More than 20 per cent of Family Court cases in Australia don't have a lawyer, SBS, 10 May 2021. 
• Underfunded legal aid services require urgent attention, SBS, 10 May 2021. 
• Signal's hack of surveillance software a big concern for courts, PC World, 3 May 2021.
• Indigenous Voice: Overwhelming support for constitutional enshrinement, Mirage News, 3 May 2021. 
• Ombudsman report highlights ‘systemic failings' in AFP, LCA says, Lawyers Weekly, 3 May 2021. 
• Self-disqualified judges, overhauled federal appointment process front of mind for judicial impartiality inquiry, Lawyers Weekly, 3 May 2021. 
• How the hacking of surveillance tech used by police could undermine Australian criminal cases, The Guardian, 2 May 2021. 

Events

Australian Law Reform Commission
Financial Services Webinars

The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) invites you to attend two upcoming webinars.

These free, interactive webinars presented in partnership with Wolters Kluwer CCH Learning are part of the ALRC’s current inquiry into the potential simplification of corporate and financial services regulation in Australia.

• Webinar: The Regulatory Ecosystem for Financial Services in Australia
  Monday 17 May 2021 at 1.00PM AEST
  
  Can Australian financial services regulation be simplified? Join the ALRC to explore the initial findings of its current inquiry. This 90 minute webinar will explore the ALRC’s preliminary findings on the regulatory framework for corporations and financial services in Australia.
   
• Webinar: Comparative Perspectives on Financial Services Regulation
  Monday 24 May 2021 at 5.00PM AEST  
  3.00PM SGT | 7.00PM NZST | 8.00AM BST | 3.00PM HKT
  
  Join a panel of international experts to compare approaches to the design of financial services regulation across different jurisdictions.
  
  In line with the initial focus of the ALRC’s inquiry, this 90 minute webinar will include discussion of how key terms and concepts, such as financial products and services, are defined and delineated for the purposes of corporate and financial services regulation in different jurisdictions.

Upcoming Events

August 2021

• 10 August 2021 - 2021 Mahla Pearlman Oration
  Host: Legal Practice Section and the Environment and Planning Law Association of New South Wales
  Location: Federal Court of Australia, Sydney
  Time: 5.00PM - 7.00PM