Legal assistance projects funding
We work with the legal assistance sector (the sector) to achieve positive outcomes for vulnerable and disadvantaged Queenslanders.
We invest in sector building legal assistance projects to improve the efficiency or effectiveness of all or part of frontline services. These projects produce a pre-planned product or outcome, have no ongoing cost (to government) and ideally involve collaboration with the broader sector.
Current projects
2022–2023 project funding
Building digital capacity for the Queensland community legal sector
In recognition that the community legal sector has inadequate resources to meet its digital needs, 2018–19 and 2019–20 project funding was allocated to Community Legal Centres Queensland (CLCQ) to support the development of a digital strategy. Building digital capacity of the Queensland community legal centres sector—Digital strategy paper provides a comprehensive approach to technology adoption and usage for the community legal sector.
As part of this work, in 2019 we undertook a discrete grants process to allocate $370,000 to community legal centres (CLCs) for basic digital hardware and software upgrades. A grant of up to $10,000 was available per CLC and CLCQ for upgrades to software and hardware, as well as digital capacity building through staff training and technological support for community engagement, such as website upgrades and other communication tools.
An additional $280,000 of project funding to provide CLCs with an opportunity to further develop their digital capacity will be allocated through a discrete grants process, anticipated to commence in early 2024.
First Nations projects
$150,000 of 2021–22 project funding was allocated to CLCQ to develop a First Nations sector strategy, which aims to build a resilient and culturally responsive CLC sector to better support First Nations Queenslanders.
$280,000 of 2022–23 project funding has been set aside for CLCs to deliver projects to support First Nations Queenslanders following the development of the First Nations sector strategy.
2021–2022 project funding
Collaborative service planning
CLCQ has been allocated $35,000 to undertake collaborative service planning with the Bundaberg and Mount Isa regions.
Disaster legal assistance
Townsville Community Law (TCL) has been allocated $150,000 to pilot a disaster legal assistance model over 2 years. This project involves TCL recruiting a project officer to lead work in appropriate locations, improving outcomes for communities affected by disasters by linking CLCs with disaster responses at a local level.
First Nations sector strategy
CLCQ has been allocated $150,000 to develop a First Nations sector strategy which aims to build a resilient and culturally responsive community legal sector to better support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Queenslanders.
Leadership training for the CLC sector
CLCQ has been allocated $116,000 to develop a leadership and governance training program for the community legal sector. The training will have a range of benefits, including improving staff capability to lead and governance
More information
- Queensland’s legal assistance forums work together to share information and collaborate to ensure priority client groups have access to effective services to meet legal and non-legal needs.