Indigenous Legal Assistance and Policy Reform Program
(Formerly Legal Aid for Indigenous Australians Program and Law and Justice Advocacy Development Program)
The Australian Government's Indigenous Legal Assistance and Policy Reform (LAPR) Program funds projects that:
- deliver high quality, culturally sensitive, equitable and accessible legal assistance services for Indigenous Australians, so that they can fully exercise their legal rights as Australian citizens
- seek to support law reform and policy development, and the delivery of community legal education, and
- support the ongoing development and continuous improvement of the program and its outcomes.
Funding for all program components is allocated in accordance with the Program Guidelines below.
This Program also provides funding for:
- test cases that advance the rights of Indigenous Australians. Further information on test case funding is available below.
Applications for Indigenous test case funding must be submitted by using the application form below.
Funding is also provided for expensive cases run by a funded Legal Assistance Provider, where the required expense would severely impact upon the Providers’ ability to fund their daily operations if it were pursued. Further information on expensive Indigenous case funding is available in the Program Guidelines and in the Service Delivery Directions. Applications for expensive Indigenous case funding may only be submitted by funded Service Providers using the application form below:
- Expensive Indigenous Case Funding application form [DOC 79KB]
- Expensive Indigenous Case Funding application form [PDF 79KB]
Legal assistance
The Service Delivery Directions for the delivery of legal assistance services to Indigenous Australians describe the legal assistance services delivered under this program component. Legal assistance services are delivered by funded providers at numerous permanent sites, court circuits and outreach locations in urban, rural and remote areas throughout all States and Territories.
The range of legal assistance services provided comprise:
- information, initial legal advice, minor assistance and referral
- duty lawyer assistance and
- legal casework services for criminal, civil and family law matters.
Further information on the type of services provided is available in the Service Delivery Directions.
The Department has an Agreement with the following Indigenous organisations to deliver legal assistance services to Indigenous Australians in their state or zones:
- New South Wales (including the Australian Capital Territory and Jervis Bay Territory) – Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) Limited
- Victoria – Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service Co-operative Limited
- Queensland - (including Torres Straight) – Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (Qld) Limited
- Western Australia – Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia Incorporated
- South Australia – Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement Incorporated
- Tasmania –Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre Incorporated
- Northern Territory North Zone – North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency Limited
- Northern Territory South Zone – Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service Incorporated
For location and contact details please see Indigenous Legal Services Contact Details below.
- Indigenous Legal Services Contact Details [DOC 138KB]
- Indigenous Legal Services Contact Details [PDF 137KB]
Further information on legal assistance can be found on the Access to Justice website.
Law reform, research and policy development
The Department funds projects and activities that support the advancement of the legal rights of Indigenous Australians and their increased access to services. This can include policy development that identifies laws, policies and practices—particularly in relation to incarceration, policing, family violence and the needs of youth—that impact adversely and disproportionately on Indigenous Australians. It can also include promoting law reform, the development of policies and practices that will lessen adverse impacts and the delivery of community legal education.
Program support and development
The Department may also provide funding to support the ongoing development of the program. Projects considered for funding under this component include training, reviews, evaluations, research, publications, domestic conferences, meetings, websites, strategic planning and advisory services.
Funded service providers are expected to liaise with governments and other agencies, and provide Indigenous views on justice issues.
