Legal assistance services funding
In May 2020, the Attorney-General announced the outcomes of an initial tender process to allocate Queensland and Australian Government legal assistance service delivery funding over 2020–25.
We allocated $112.152 million in funding over 2020–25 to 24 community organisations who were successful in the process.
A further $1.238 million was allocated to 5 additional community organisations for 2020–21 to mitigate service delivery gaps in 5 regions. Another tender process was undertaken to allocate $5.203 million in funding over 2021–25 in those 5 regions to 5 successful community organisations.
This funding is for providing free or low-cost legal services to vulnerable and disadvantaged Queenslanders and has continued to evolve over time. More allocations are made as additional funding becomes available, often with different criteria, as determined by the funding source.
We have now allocated $138.951 million in funding to 37 community organisations over 2020–25, which includes:
- $74.148 million in Queensland funding
- $58.849 million in Australian Government funding
- $5.953 million in Australian Government COVID-19 service delivery funding.
A breakdown of the 2020–25 service delivery funding provided to individual community organisations is set out on this page. The figures include:
- Australian Government COVID-19 service delivery funding provided in late-June 2020 for 2019–20 and allocated to the community organisations in 2020–21
- funding administered by the Department of Justice and Attorney-General on behalf of other departments.
2020–25 funding
| Community organisation | Queensland and Australian funding 2020–25 |
|---|---|
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women's Legal Service NQ Inc | $3,549,184 |
| Aboriginal Family Legal Service Southern Queensland Indigenous Corporation 1 | $160,842 |
| Aged and Disability Advocacy Australia Ltd | $2,183,809 |
| Basic Rights Queensland Inc | $6,170,902 |
| Bayside Community Legal Service Inc | $924,176 |
| Cairns Community Legal Centre Inc | $4,427,313 |
| Care Goondiwindi Ltd 2 | $158,494 |
| Carers Queensland Ltd 3 | $293,955 |
| Caxton Legal Centre Inc | $12,536,440 |
| Centacare 3 | $186,890 |
| Central Queensland Community Legal Centre Inc | $5,397,401 |
| Court Network Inc 3 | $646,719 |
| Encircle Ltd | $4,463,167 |
| Environmental Defenders Office Ltd 4 | $1,626,197 |
| Financial Rights Legal Centre Incorporated 1 | $160,842 |
| Gold Coast Community Legal Centre and Advice Bureau Inc | $6,585,889 |
| Hervey Bay Neighbourhood Centre Inc | $2,757,861 |
| HUB Community Legal | $5,663,857 |
| LawRight Inc | $10,212,230 |
| LGBTI Legal Service Inc | $1,477,411 |
| Mackay Regional Community Legal Centre Inc | $2,575,823 |
| Moreton Bay Regional Community Legal Service Inc 2 | $321,202 |
| National Children’s and Youth Law Centre 1 | $160,842 |
| North Queensland Women's Legal Service Inc 5 | $9,465,301 |
| Northside Connect Inc (Brisbane North Community Legal Service) | $1,683,378 |
| Prisoners' Legal Service Inc | $3,010,961 |
| Queensland Advocacy Incorporated | $3,540,794 |
| Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service 1 | $160,842 |
| Refugee and Immigration Legal Service Inc | $5,204,709 |
| Suncoast Community Legal Service Inc | $2,780,253 |
| TASC National Limited | $10,637,935 |
| Tenants Queensland Ltd | $1,999,691 |
| Townsville Community Legal Service Inc | $2,984,995 |
| Western Queensland Justice Network 2 | $463,782 |
| Women's Legal Service Inc 5 | $18,216,884 |
| YFS Ltd | $3,572,702 |
| Youth Advocacy Centre Inc | $2,587,005 |
| Total | $138,950,678 |
- 1 These organisations received Australian Government COVID-19 funding only (2020–21).
- 2 These organisations received 1 year of funding (2020–21).
- 3 These organisations were unsuccessful in the tender process to allocate Queensland and Australian government legal assistance service delivery over 2020–25. The Attorney-General allocated these organisations 1 year of funding for 2020–21 to give them enough time to find an alternative funding source. Court Network Inc was allocated a further $150,000 in 2021–22.
- 4 Environmental Defenders Office Ltd was unsuccessful in the tender process to allocate Queensland and Australian government legal assistance service delivery over 2020–25; however, the Attorney-General and Cabinet Budget Review Committee allocated this organisation alternative funding for 2020–25.
- 5 This amount is inclusive of a direct allocation from the Australian Government for the delivery of DVU/HJP.
The total 2020–25 amounts shown in the above table include indicative amounts for indexation of the funding. Although the Australian Government’s indexation funding is fixed for the funding cycle, each year when the non-government organisation (NGO) grant indexation rate is reviewed based on projections of the Wage Price Index and Consumer Price Index growth, the majority of the state funding to community organisations is adjusted accordingly.
In April 2021, state funding to community organisations was revised down over the remaining 2021–25 funding cycle, due to a reduced NGO grant indexation rate of 1.500% (from 2.375%) as a result of current economic conditions.
We also allocate funding to Community Legal Centres Queensland (CLCQ) to deliver peak services. Over 2020–25, CLCQ will receive $2,694,646.
Program coordination
At the start of each funding cycle, a portion of the community organisation funding is set aside for program coordination items and sundry expenses.
Throughout the funding cycle, these allocations may be adjusted where needed, including for changes in the state NGO grant indexation rate or further allocations to the community organisations.
The following table shows funding currently set aside over 2020–25.
| Program coordination | Queensland Government 2020–25 | Australian Government 2020–25 |
|---|---|---|
| Community organisation sundry expenses | $912,415 | $233,327 |
| State program management (Legal Aid Queensland) 1 | - | $1,469,222 |
| Community legal education collaboration fund | - | $500,000 |
| Data collection system maintenance | - | $1,326,448 |
| Translating and interpreting services | - | $4,209,360 |
- 1 During 2020–21, the portion of funding that Legal Aid Queensland received directly to administer the community organisations was transferred to the community organisation’s allocation for transparency. This means the above table includes the full allocation that Legal Aid Queensland receives for state program management of the community organisations.