LOCAL community legal services face a significant funding shortage, as the state’s community legal sector assesses the damage of Federal Budget cuts announced earlier in the year.
In May, The Guardian reported on Federal Government plans to wind back funding for community legal centres by 28.7 percent from 2017 onwards, cutting spending from $42 million to $30 million.
The state’s peak community legal representative body, Federation of Community Legal Centres, has compiled new figures showing what impacts the funding cut will mean for services across the state.
The numbers showed Murray Mallee Community Legal Service (MMCLS), which covers Swan Hill and surrounding areas, faces a cut of more than 30 percent.
MMCLS manager Lisa-Maree Stevens said the cuts would have wide ramifications, as her organisation covered a region of 100,000 square kilometres with sparse legal services to address a high incidence of family violence.
For more on this story, pick up a copy of today’s (Monday, August 30) The Guardian…
