Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak about the Mount Druitt and Area Community Legal Centre, which has operated successfully in our area out of a building in the shopping district of Rooty Hill since 1997. It handles more than 1,100 cases a year, two-thirds with new clients. The centre itself services 44 of the Blacktown LGA's 48 suburbs—it is astounding the number of suburbs it helps out—as well as 13 suburbs of the Penrith LGA. That is a catchment of close to 400,000 people. Last year alone it gave over-the-phone advice on 1,300 matters and saw 478 clients face to face. It represented those clients in Civil and Administrative Tribunal, local court, Superannuation Complaints Tribunal and Fair Work Commission matters, so it is doing a wide range of things.

In its early years the centre became so successful on a two to three day roster—the equivalent of 1½ solicitors—it was totally overwhelmed with cases. The legal assistance sector, I hate to admit and I am saddened to hear, is being subjected to $43 million in cuts over the forward estimates—an astounding and terrible figure. There is no funding certainty for community legal centres beyond that.

This centre does not operate on government funding alone. It has had support from the corporate sector. In 2001 Blake Dawson Waldron, now known as Ashurst, felt it would be in the community's best interest that the Mount Druitt and Area Community Legal Centre have its doors open more days. For almost 10 years Ashurst offered their services free of charge to clients—a tremendous example of corporate Australia pitching in in an area of need. They based themselves there full time and were able to operate in the service there. Eventually they had to withdraw their full-time presence but—Member for Shortland, you may be interested in knowing—they still continue to provide $25,000 a year, which is astounding in itself.

Historically, the centre has been funded by the federal government with recurrent funding of $220,000. In an area of high need, this centre works miracles, having the fifth lowest level of funding compared to others. By comparison, the Hunter Community Legal Centre gets $581,000 and our neighbouring Macquarie Legal Centre nearly $500,000. I am proud to say that the former Labor government signed a deed guaranteeing $50,000 per year for three years. But after just one year it was cancelled by the coalition. That is a $100,000 loss.

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