2276. Hon Alison Xamon to the Leader of the House representing the Attorney General:
I refer to the Western Australian State Budget 2019–20, page 371, Outcomes and Key Effectiveness Indicators: Equitable access to legal services and information, and I ask why is the 2019–20 budget target for the percentage of eligible applicants who receive a grant of legal aid less than the 2018–19 estimated actual (85% and 88%)?
Hon Sue Ellery replied:
The 2018–19 estimated actual is higher than 2019–20 target due to additional grants of aid provided for Commonwealth Family Law matters in the 2018–19 year, such as Independent Children’s Lawyer (ICL) matters. These additional matters were funded from unallocated Commonwealth funds received under the National Partnership Agreement (NPA) 2015–20.
The 2019–20 Budget Target of 85% is set lower than the 2018–19 Estimated Actual of 88% as there are no surplus funds allocated for additional Commonwealth funded ICL matters in 2019–20.