Government backflip on legal centre funding

BY JESSICA ROUSE

The Federal Government's backdown on cuts to community legal centres this week is a welcome relief in the Hunter.

The Hunter Community Legal Centre has provided thousands of people with free legal assistance, who can't access it otherwise, for 26 years.

The funding cuts would have seen the Hunter centre, as well as many centres across the country, close their doors and turn desperate clients away.

Hunter MP Joel Fitzgibbon couldn't be happier.

"I welcome the backdown from George Brandis and the government. Too many people rely on these services particularly the outreach services that go right up throughout my electorate. It's so important to so many people."

Many people across the Hunter find themselves in need of a lawyer through no fault of their own, particularly victims of domestic violence, who can't afford legal services on their own.

"While many people without the ability to pay find themselves needing a lawyer for all sorts of reasons, it's usually no fault of their own and this is important to social support and to just pull the rug out from under so many people in the Hunter was a bad decision and I welcome the backdown," said Joel Fitzgibbon.

Dispute over funding for Legal centre

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.