100 signatures reached
To: Federal Government
Justice for All: Fund Community Legal Centres
Community Legal Centres are at a crisis point
The Australian Services Union is calling on the Albanese Government to take immediate action to address the funding and workforce crisis faced by community legal centres (CLCs) across Australia.
CLCs provide vital legal services to some of the most vulnerable members of our society, ensuring access to justice for all. Without urgent government intervention, the future of these essential services is at risk.
We also stand in solidarity with the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and Family and Domestic Violence services, echoing their calls for increased funding to support the critical work they do in our communities.
We are asking the Albanese Government to:
- Increase funding immediately to ensure secure jobs and meet the rising demand for services.
- Ensure pay parity for all CLC staff with their counterparts in the public sector.
- Honour their promise of 6-year funding cycles in the social and community services sector.
- Implement the recommendations of the independent National Legal Assistance Partnership review.
Why is this important?
Why is this important?
CLCs offer free legal services to those who need it most. They ensure that everyone, regardless of their circumstances, has access to legal support and justice. Just as our reliance on CLCs have grown, their funding has plummeted.
- Over 350,000 people are turned away from CLCs each year across Australia, including women and children escaping family and domestic violence.
- 9 out of 10 legal centres experienced an increase in demand for services, despite inadequate funding and staff shortages.
- Community lawyers earn 10-35% less than layers in the public sector. Combined with higher demand, staff burnout and turnover, community legal centres struggle to hire and retain staff.
- An independent review commissioned by the Federal Government confirmed what CLCs have said all along: current funding levels are inadequate to meet community needs.
Well-funded CLCs can ensure workers are appropriately-paid, have secure local jobs and continue to provide essential services to those who rely on them. But right now, CLCs have less than a year of guaranteed funding left. Without urgent government support, CLCs will be forced to reduce staffing, close programs, and turn away more Australians who are in desperate need of legal help. This will only exacerbate the challenges faced by those already struggling to navigate a complex legal system.
Sign the petition to stand for justice for all.