Funding aims to ease rising operating costs, including practising certificate fees
The WA government has announced an additional $2 million in funding for community legal centres over the next two years to help address rising operating costs, including practising certificate fees.
The government will distribute the funding proportionally among community legal centres across the state during the 2026–27 and 2027–28 financial years. The allocation, in addition to indexation, will allow organisations to address individual financial pressures, including workforce costs, service delivery, and practising certificate fees.
The announcement follows months of advocacy by Community Legal WA (CLWA) and community legal centre leaders seeking reduced practising certificate fees for lawyers working in the sector.
CLWA CEO Chelsea McKinney welcomed the funding, saying it would give services greater flexibility to manage financial pressures.
“The government has responded with a broader investment that gives services flexibility to address the pressures they are facing now,” McKinney said in a statement.
Conrad Liveris, who joined the campaign alongside McKinney and community legal centre chairs, said the annual practising certificate fee of about $1,250 per lawyer imposed high costs on centres. He said a centre employing 10 lawyers could face $12,500 in annual fees, generally paid from funds otherwise available for legal assistance.
The group sought a 50 percent discount, equivalent to the reduction available to government lawyers, estimating it could redirect about $250,000 annually to frontline services.
However, the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia declined to introduce the proposed discount. The group subsequently raised the issue with Attorney General Dr Tony Buti.
Liveris welcomed the additional funding but called for a permanent fee reduction to provide greater budget certainty.
CLWA also welcomed confirmation that the government continues to consider changes to practising certificate fees.
Western Australia has 25 community legal centres providing free or low-cost legal assistance across metropolitan and regional areas. The Department of Justice administers approximately $32 million annually in State and Commonwealth funding for the sector.
Buti said in a media release that the additional investment would help centres manage increasing costs, maintain services, and continue assisting vulnerable Western Australians.
