1004. Hon ALISON XAMON to the Leader of the House representing the Attorney General:
I refer to the lack of sufficient ongoing funding for Western Australian community legal centres.
(1) Was it the Attorney General’s intention to explore funding community legal centres through increases in Supreme Court fees?
(2) If yes to (1), has this now occurred?
(3) If yes to (2), what was the outcome?
(4) If no to (1), why not?
(5) Is the government considering any other mechanisms to better fund community legal centres?
(6) If yes to (5), what other options are being considered?
(7) If no to (5), why not?
Hon SUE ELLERY replied:
I thank the honourable member for some notice of the question and for her continuing interest in this area.
(1)–(7) Access to justice for all Western Australians is a critical issue, particularly for those who are less fortunate or who live in remote areas. It remains front and centre for the McGowan government. The government commends these community legal centres for their work. The government is currently considering a range of options to resolve the funding uncertainties and shortfalls for CLCs. From the grant of $2 million from the criminal property confiscations fund in the 2018–19 budget, approximately $500 000 has been allocated to enable the Department of Justice, Legal Aid WA and Treasury to undertake the necessary work to develop a sustainable funding model for community legal centres. The Attorney General and the Department of Justice continue to work closely with the sector in the interests of resolving this issue.