Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 895, standing in my name for today, by substituting the word 'notes' for 'supports' in paragraph (e).

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That the Senate—

(a) notes the crucial work done by community legal centres across Australia in assisting victims and survivors of domestic violence;

(b) acknowledges recent commitments to addressing domestic violence from the Queensland and Federal governments;

(c) notes the fact that regardless of those commitments:

(i) Queensland community legal centres helped 50 000 people in 2014 15, but were forced to turn away more than 80,000 people, and

(ii) community legal centres face a funding cut of $12 million in 2017 under the National Partnership Agreement on Legal Assistance Services;

(d) notes the emergency meeting on Tuesday, 13 October 2015, in Brisbane attempting to find solutions to the funding crisis for community legal centres;

(e) notes the Productivity Commission's 2014 recommendation for an immediate $200 million funding boost for civil and family law assistance; and

(f) calls on the Federal Government to abandon the funding cuts planned for 2017, and work with state governments to increase funding to community legal centres.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Mitch Fifield (Victoria, Liberal Party, Manager of Government Business in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Through the National Partnership Agreement, the Commonwealth committed $1.6 billion to legal assistance over the next five years. Recently, an additional $15 million has been committed through the Women's Safety package. Legal assistance is not solely a Commonwealth responsibility. Commonwealth funding for Community Legal Centres reduces in 2017-18 because the lapsing funding provided by the former Labor government ends, as always intended and understood, on 30 June 2017 and the delayed effect of the 2013 MYEFO savings measure with a two-year funding reinstatement ending on 30 June 2017. This equates to $18 million or 1.5 per cent of overall funding.

Question agreed to.