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“Community legal centres and legal aid provide valuable assistance to disadvantaged people in a range of areas, including family and criminal law, tenancy issues, employment disputes and consumer credit and debt…The Rudd Government recognises that without such support people can be prevented from fully participating in society, causing their problems to escalate and entrenching disadvantage.” Federal Attorney General Robert McClelland said in announcing the funds, $2 million of which has gone to NSW CLCs.

The funding announcement comes after a Commonwealth review of the Community Legal Services Program, which showed that CLCs can’t meet the client demand in rural regional and remote areas on current resource levels. The Review found that CLCs are assisting genuinely disadvantaged clients, with eight in 10 earning less than $26,000 a year. Most CLC clients are female, 58 per cent on welfare, and 9 per cent have a disability. “I pay tribute to the dedication of all those who contribute to community legal centres or who undertake legal aid work,” Mr McClelland said.