Funding boost will help meet growing demand for legal services
LEGAL Aid Queensland has welcomed a much-needed injection of state government funding, which will help meet growing demand for legal services.
Legal Aid Queensland CEO Nicky Davies said the Queensland Government’s commitment to provide $98m of additional funding over four years would allow the organisation to meet increasing demand for core legal services in criminal law, domestic and family violence and child protection, and increase the fees paid to private lawyers and specialists like psychiatrists who do legal aid work on the organisation’s behalf.
“This is vital funding that will help to ensure Legal Aid Queensland can meet growing demand for its services and help us attract and retain quality legal suppliers and specialists,” she said.
“We rely heavily on private lawyers to provide services to our clients and they deserve to be adquately remunerated for the work they do.
“About 75 percent of our casework is briefed out to private law firms around the state and we wouldn’t be able to meet client need without their ongoing support, particularly in rural and regional areas.
“This funding will help us increase the fees paid to private practitioners and make legal aid work more financially viable for those in private practise.”
Ms Davies said the additional funding would also allow the organisation to support the continued enhancement and rollout of specialist domestic and family violence courts in Queensland.
“We are committed to providing quality legal assistance services for people experiencing domestic and family violence and this additional funding will help us to meet growing demand in this area,” she said.
“We thank the state government, and particularly the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Shannon Fentiman for ensuring Legal Aid Queensland is able to respond to growing legal need in the community, particularly regarding domestic and family violence, and has a strong network of quality private practitioners and specialists who are adequately paid to assist our clients.”
Media contact
- Amanda Catania (07) 3917 0407
- Miranda Greer (07) 3917 0407
Last updated 22 June 2022