- National cabinet pledges $4.7 billion for frontline family violence services.
- Funding targets legal aid, pay increases, and high-risk perpetrator interventions.
- Community legal centers warn of ongoing crises despite new funding.
The Australian national cabinet’s $4.7 billion package is designed to boost frontline family violence services, focusing on legal aid, support programs, and intervention strategies for high-risk perpetrators.
The five-year deal, with ongoing funding commitments, aims to provide long-term stability for services that are currently at risk of a funding cliff by next July.
A $4.7 Billion Lifeline: Family Violence Services Await Funding Impact
However, despite this major funding commitment, community legal centers remain concerned. Many services are already turning away victims due to resource constraints, and leaders argue that immediate funding is necessary to avoid gaps in support. Indigenous legal services have also raised concerns that the package does not address the current crises facing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
A significant portion of the funding, approximately $800 million, will go toward increasing pay for legal aid workers, particularly those specializing in gender-based violence cases. Additionally, intervention programs aimed at high-risk perpetrators will be supported, in an effort to prevent further escalation of violence. These measures are expected to strengthen the overall response to domestic and family violence across Australia.
Despite the ambitious funding package, many community legal centers are still facing severe challenges. Long waitlists and funding shortages have led some centers to turn away victims who need urgent assistance. These centers are calling for immediate financial support, arguing that waiting until next July will only exacerbate the existing crisis.
Indigenous communities remain particularly vulnerable, with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women experiencing higher rates of domestic violence. While the funding is a step in the right direction, Indigenous legal services warn that without specific targeted measures, the crisis in these communities will persist, and many victims will continue to be overlooked.
While the $4.7 billion package is a critical step toward addressing family violence in Australia, immediate action and targeted support will be essential to ensure that no community is left behind during this transition.
“We’re turning away people now and we’re going to have to continue to do that.” — Arlia Fleming, Chair of Community Legal Centres Australia
