George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Senator Waters, some of the funding reductions to the overall legal aid budget which had been foreshadowed in the 2013 MYEFO statement were, in fact, reversed as a direct result from an intervention by me with the former Prime Minister, Mr Abbott. You do not seem to be acknowledging that, but that occurred. But specifically in relation to the legal assistance sector, might I draw to your attention the $15 million for specialised domestic violence units, which bring together coordinated services for legal advice, social work, cultural liaison and hospital outreach. This is a problem which, when suffered by its victims, often manifests itself in a variety of different aspects of life which require the services of a variety of different professions and specialisations. (Time expired)