CLC calls for frontline services funding geared towards women's safety

Community Legal Centres Australia (CLC) has called on the federal government to allocate funding to frontline services that protect women and help them leave violent situations.  

According to the organisation’s findings, due to funding shortages community legal centres across the country must turn away 1,000 individuals daily. The funding deficit has also led to a workforce shortage of over 2,000 staff members. 

A CLC analysis highlighted the need for a further $125m in the 2024 Federal Budget to ensure that services can maintain programs while a new national funding agreement is finalised over the coming 12 months.  

“As a frontline service provider, we specialise in supporting victim-survivors of domestic and family violence. However, our ability to deliver essential services is severely compromised without sufficient funding. This is putting vulnerable individuals and families at risk", said Arlia Fleming, deputy chairperson of the CLC and CEO of the Central Tablelands and Blue Mountains Legal Centre. 

Data from a recent sector survey showed that 78% of community legal services throughout Australia offer support in matters of domestic and family violence and family law. These services address major legal barriers such as child custody and separation arrangements, which can prevent women from leaving unsafe environments. 

“We already have a consistent 3-week waiting list. Without access to our services, victim-survivors may be forced to remain in unsafe environments. Without early intervention and support, the long-term social and economic costs of domestic and family violence will continue to escalate", Fleming said. 

She added that the attorney-general had vetoed a federal royal commission into domestic violence “because he believes the government should focus on implementing policies it has already identified. That must include funding the services that provide legal support to women experiencing or at risk of violence”. 

“We also need to see future funding levels locked into the forward estimates to give the sector certainty as we enter a 12-month negotiation around the next national funding agreement. People experiencing violence deserve to feel certain that the services they rely upon will continue to exist after 1 July 2025", Fleming said. “We implore the federal government and all community stakeholders working to keep women safe to recognise the importance of adequate funding for frontline services in our national response. The time to act is now".