Demand for free legal help in NSW has grown significantly, with tens of thousands more people seeking help from Legal Aid NSW as cost-of-living pressures increase.
The sharp rise comes as Legal Aid NSW considers how to meet this additional demand with available funding.
“We have seen enormous demand for our services in recent years and expect it to rise further,” said Legal Aid NSW CEO Monique Hitter.
“Many NSW people are dealing with more legal problems but are less able to pay for a lawyer due to financial pressures.”
The organisation’s 2023–24 annual report shows they provided more than half a million services last financial year, up 10 per cent on 2022–23.
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The free legal help line and web chat service, LawAccess NSW, handled almost 200,000 enquiries. Calls to that service grew 25 per cent last financial year, with many enquiries related to legal problems regarding family law and parenting arrangements, employment issues, driving, disputes over goods and services, and debts.
“Early access to our free legal advice can help to resolve those legal problems before they worsen significantly,” said Ms Hitter. “That’s good for families, the court system and the wider community.”
In the courts, legal representation by LegalAid rose by 14 per cent, with a 10 per cent jump in the number of services provided by duty lawyers who deliver on-the-spot free assistance at courts across NSW.
There was also a 20 per cent increase in mediation services that help separating couples reach out-of-court agreements, with a record 3,307 mediation services.
“Unfortunately, our current funding does not allow us to offer our services to all of those people who really need them,” Ms Hitter said.
“This includes people below the poverty line who do not qualify for a grant of legal aid because their income is still not deemed to be low enough.
“We will continue to work closely with the Commonwealth and State Governments to ensure we can continue to meet growing demand for our services.”
