Legal aid is a co-operative scheme between the Commonwealth and state governments to provide legal help to those who need it most.
The legal assistance sector helps people to live healthy and productive lives in our community. We act as a safety net, supporting people to navigate complex systems, understand their rights and responsibilities and working with the community to prevent legal problems from occurring or getting worse.
A national partnership agreement provides Commonwealth Government funding to states and territories to distribute to legal aid commissions, community legal centres and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services. Commonwealth funding for legal aid must be used for preventative and early intervention services or for Commonwealth law matters only (such as family law, child support, social security and Commonwealth criminal matters).
The current agreement is called the National Legal Assistance Partnership 2020-2025.
It took effect from 1 July 2020.
More information
Read about our vision, purpose and values.
Read our reconciliation action plan.
Read about organisations we work with.
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