A new report prepared by Impact Economics and Policy for National Legal Aid (Australia) highlights funding and other challenges that have left the nation’s legal aid services in a state of crisis. According to the report, “Australia’s justice system is in crisis because people can’t access it, and the program designed to [e]nsure access is buckling under the weight of growing demand and shrinking supply.”

In 2014, a major report recommended an additional $200 million per year in funding for legal aid to address unmet legal need. The funding was not provided. Since the 2014 report, however, there has been a 3 per cent per capita cut in government funding for legal aid services. The result is that many, mostly disadvantaged groups in Australia lack adequate access to legal representation and services. Funding gaps are especially critical for matters related to civil and family law.

The cost of unresolved legal problems in Australia – including costs related to lost income, health impacts and seeking redress – is estimated to be between $11 billion and $66 billion in 2023. The compares to an estimated cost of $484 million to adequately fund Legal Aid in 2023. The annual estimated benefit derived from investing in Legal Aid is $639 million.

Justice on the Brink: Stronger Legal Aid for a Better Legal System is available online here: https://ajrn.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/0f02e-justiceonthebrink.pdf.