Assessment on the Current Legal Needs in Western Australia
Client: WA Department of Justice
01/11/2022
The National Legal Assistance Partnership (NLAP) 2020–25 is the national partnership agreement between the Commonwealth Government and all State and Territory governments, that provides funding and sets out arrangements for the delivery of Commonwealth-funded legal assistance services. The WA Department of Justice is responsible for administering NLAP funding, among other Commonwealth and State funding streams.
To support the requirements under the NLAP, ACIL Allen was engaged to develop The WA Legal Needs Report and Legal Needs Service Data Tool. They are the first of their kind in Australia and represent an innovative approach to estimating legal need based on a range of data sources.
The WA Legal Needs Report provides a snapshot of the estimated level and nature of legal need in Western Australia, with reference to geographic regions, Priority Areas of Law and Priority Client Groups. The Legal Needs Service Data Tool synthesises legal assistance service provider data and legal needs indicators, which will be managed by the Department of Justice to monitor legal need in Western Australia and how it is met.
The project contributes an important quantitative evidence base to inform service planning and funding decisions, which will be supplemented the Department’s ongoing consultation with the legal assistance sector and other stakeholders about on-the-ground experiences.