BY TYLER FARDELL
The federal government has come under fire from the opposition over funding cuts to The Hunter community legal centre which come into effect July 1st this year.
Hunter Labor MP's Joel Fitzgibbon, Meryl Swanson and Sharon Claydon have criticised the funding cuts, saying the centre, which offers free legal help to those in need, "could be forced to turn away hundreds of local residents".
In addition the centre's base in Newcastle, the centre has a variety on face-to-face clinics throughout the Hunter, including ones in Cessnock, Port Stephens, Raymond Terrace and Muswellbrook.
In the last year alone, the centre provided more than 4300 people with legal assistance, however more than 13 hundred were turned away due to lack of resources.
"It's fair to say the government's proposed funding cuts will be detrimental to the centre's operation and will equate to more people in desperate need of help being turned away" said Mr Fitzgibbon.
However, the federal government has hit back at the opposition, stating funding for the centre had risen by more than 30 percent over the past six years.
