- Published:
- Wednesday 7 October 2026
When Victorians need legal help, they should be able to get it.
Community legal centres are on the frontline of our justice system – helping thousands of Victorians understand their rights and get the support they need.
The Attorney-General today announced an immediate $28.5 million investment into the community legal sector through the Victorian Legal Services Board grants program.
This will support 26 community programs to bring legal help closer to Victorians.
Standing with victim-survivors
More than $8 million will support victim-survivors of family and sexual violence to seek justice.
Lawyers will be placed where victim-survivors need them – in crisis accommodation, hospitals and schools.
The Royal Women’s Hospital will be supported to take their best-practice model in responding to patients affected by family and sexual violence statewide.
We’re also backing in work to prevent the misidentification of victim-survivors as the perpetrator.
New work will explore a portable legal service that can move as victim-survivors move to keep themselves safe.
Backing regional Victorians
Your postcode shouldn’t determine your access to legal help.
Funding will expand legal services across regional and rural Victoria to Ballarat, the Grampians, Goulburn Valley, Gippsland and western Victoria.
A further $8 million will help communities facing bushfires and floods with insurance, housing and financial hardship during recovery.
Making justice easier to access
We’re also backing new and innovative technology to make legal help faster and easier to access.
AI-powered legal tools will help community legal centres identify legal need and connect them with the right support sooner.
More remote services will expand access to help with tenancy and infringements issues.
This is Labor’s largest grants investment into community legal services.
The Liberal-One Nation Coalition is promising $40 billion in cuts.
Jess Wilson needs to explain what those cuts would mean for the frontline legal services Victorians rely on when they need help most.
Quotes attributable to Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny
“When Victorians need legal help, they should be able to get it regardless of where they live.”
“We’re backing the organisations on the frontline – protecting victim-survivors and making sure regional Victorians can get the legal support they need close to home.”
Quote attributable to Victorian Legal Services Board CEO and Commissioner Fiona McLeay
"By backing strategic ideas, collaboration and community-led approaches, we can improve access to legal help and deliver lasting benefits for Victorians.”