Legal funding flip welcomed

COMMUNITY legal centres are celebrating a stunning reversal of hefty funding cuts by the Federal Government.
Springvale-Monash Legal Service and Casey-Cardinia Community Legal Service were each bracing for $200,000 in cuts over the next two years until the backflip.
“It’s great news,” a relieved SMLS executive director Kristen Wallwork said.
“Before they announced it, we’d been doing some future planning and looking at staffing (cuts).”
CCCLS principal solicitor Vera Hardiman had the pleasing task of cancelling plans to move out of its Narre Warren office last Thursday.
“We had started pricing equipment ahead of the move,” she said.
“I had to quickly tell the landlord we’re not going to move out (in June) after all.”
Federal Attorney-General George Brandis said last week that current funding levels were guaranteed for the legal assistance sector for the next two years.