Advocating for access to justice – our Annual Report 2025–26

Over the past year, we delivered over 464,000 services to people across Victoria, improving access to justice statewide.

We have helped clients and the broader community with legal representation, advice and information, family dispute resolution, early engagement and intervention and community legal education. We have also helped people with non-legal advocacy and support, with the understanding that complex social issues often underly legal ones.

While we were proud to deliver important services and advocacy across Victoria, our report outlines that demand for our services still far outstrips our available resources.

‘This enables us to provide vital assistance to many tens of thousands of Victorians who would otherwise be unable to access help when they need it most.

‘However, around 14% of the community lives below the poverty line, but only 8% of Victorians qualify for a grant of legal aid. This means many Victorians experiencing significant disadvantage are unable to access the legal assistance they need. We will continue to advocate for adequate funding to ensure we can deliver vital services to Victorians with legal and non-legal needs.’

Our clients

Our annual client survey found that clients were generally positive about our services and their interactions with staff, with 80 per cent saying they would recommend our services to others.

Eighty-five per cent said their lawyer treated them with respect, and 82 per cent of those whose legal problem was resolved said our help had a positive impact on the outcome.

Our clients include a diverse range of people across Victoria, with many facing complex legal problems, cultural barriers, discrimination, disability, mental health issues or social and geographic isolation. For many of our clients, these issues can intersect and compound, meaning that more than one descriptor is often appropriate for our clients.

Of our clients in 2025–26:

• 36 per cent disclosed having a disability or mental health issue, highlighting the importance of accessibility in our service delivery

• 20 per cent were living in regional Victoria, where we know that legal assistance services can be difficult to access

• 8 per cent identified as First Peoples, compared to one per cent of Victoria’s population, demonstrating the significant over-representation in the justice system

• 24 per cent had no income and 10 per cent were at risk of homelessness, highlighting the impact of cost-of-living pressures as a driver of legal need

• 15 per cent required the assistance of an interpreter, and 22 per cent were from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, demonstrating the need for culturally safe and accessible services.

Improving access to justice

Throughout the year, we worked with our partners to deliver important services and advocacy, strengthening access to justice for Victorians.

‘'Our collaboration with private practitioners, community legal centres, First Peoples services, the courts, government and other organisations working in the justice system play a crucial role in ensuring access to justice,’ said Toby.

In 2025–26, we:

• launched a new legal helpline for First Peoples, strengthening access to legal assistance in a culturally safe and responsive way

• continued to roll out our Aboriginal Community Engagement Officer Program(opens in a new window) statewide

• strengthened our services in the regions, including in the Ovens Murray region(opens in a new window) and Barwon region(opens in a new window)

• continued to deliver important strategic litigation outcomes, including for our client Tatiana(opens in a new window) who was discriminated against while pregnant, and for our client Sherri(opens in a new window) in her fight for access to the National Disability Insurance Scheme

• expanded our Remand Support Service(opens in a new window) to the Melbourne Magistrates' Court

• supported policy improvements for First Peoples, including through the Yoorrook Justice Commission(opens in a new window) and Treaty(opens in a new window)

• expanded our Independent Family and Advocacy Support service(opens in a new window) across Victoria

• shared our experience of the impact of the government's changes to bail laws(opens in a new window), highlighting their disproportionate impact on First Peoples.