Up to 800 people in need being turned away each week in Western Australia

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Community legal services are struggling to meet surging demand from people facing family and domestic violence issues. In Western Australia alone each week up to 800 people who need urgent legal help are being turned away. The figures have prompted calls for more funding ahead of the March election.

Transcript

00:00Marisha Jerevich wanted to help a relative dealing with financial abuse access a community

00:08legal centre, but she couldn't find one.

00:11One of the very first calls was a centre that had an answering machine and it stated that

00:19they were at capacity and were unable to even take messages or calls.

00:25She first tried looking in late 2023, but gave up halfway through last year because

00:30the process was too difficult.

00:33The legal problems remain unresolved.

00:35It impacted me, you know, mentally, physically.

00:40By the end of it, I was kind of a mess.

00:45In September last year, the federal government announced a $4.7 billion funding boost for

00:51community legal centre workers and frontline staff.

00:54$4.6 million is reserved for WA coming into effect from July, but the sector's peak body

01:01worries it won't be enough and wants the incoming state government to fill the gap.

01:07We are turning away double the number of people from previous years and so we're seeking a

01:11doubling of core funding in legal and tenancy services so that we can help people resolve

01:17their legal problems.

01:19Workers across Perth are not keeping up with demand.

01:22Unfortunately, we are seeing demand go through the roof.

01:25Our walking clinic, which we run once a week, we're seeing over 30 people attending walking

01:30clinics.

01:31We're managing the demand basically by turning people away.

01:33So if somebody's matter isn't at a sufficient level of seriousness that they aren't in immediate

01:40risk of serious physical harm, then we simply have to say no.

01:43Labor, the Liberals and Nationals have all made significant promises in the family and

01:48domestic violence space, but none have included a commitment to increasing funding for community

01:54legal centres and frontline staff.

01:57A waiting game for legal centres struggling to cope.

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