Turning now to Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who has been speaking about funding for women’s legal services as a leading group said more than 50,000 women had to be turned away.
It comes a week after an emergency national cabinet meeting into domestic violence, as leaders weighed plans to track offenders.
Dreyfus said he was considering the five-year legal assistance partnership between the states and federal government.
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“I’m right now considering that review. I’ll have more to say about it soon,” he told RN Breakfast earlier.
But the attorney-general said he wouldn’t go into detail about what the announcement would be about.
“I’m not going to pre-empt the budget, and I’m not going to pre-empt the discussions that are ongoing right now … about what the future shape of access to justice looks like in Australia,” Dreyfus said.
He said there were years of chronic underfunding, but there had been small improvements since Labor was in government.
“It is about major change that’s needed in the sector and that involves discussions between the commonwealth and the states – those are ongoing. I’ve had a review done, we’ll be releasing that review in coming months,” he said.
The minister said legal assistance to women was vital for women, particularly those fleeing family violence.
Source Agencies
