The National Network are profoundly disappointed – but not shocked – by the announcement that Legal Aid NT will be forced to cut critical services starting 1 January 2025, due to insufficient funding. ‘In fact, no one should be surprised by this. For years, legal services have warned that underfunding would lead to devastating outcomes. For us to act surprised now is ridiculous,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘As a National Network we argue for the dismantling of violent systems like prisons because we see these structures as inherently oppressive and designed to perpetuate cycles of harm and control. The carceral system forces people—especially those from marginalised communities into reliance on public legal services, knowing full well that these services are chronically underfunded and overstretched,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘The state, which controls the funding for these legal systems, deliberately keeps them under-resourced, ensuring they do not adequately serve the people who need them most. This situation is not accidental; it is by design,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘By denying adequate legal assistance, the state is effectively creating a direct pipeline into prisons, where marginalised people are warehoused and forgotten. This is the machinery of systemic violence at work where justice is withheld, and incarceration becomes the inevitable outcome for those who cannot afford to navigate an unjust legal system,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘This decision is not just an unfortunate consequence of bureaucracy; it will actively deny the most vulnerable people access to legal assistance. These cuts will see more women turned back to abusive environments, more people pushed into the prison system, and quite possibly, more deaths in custody,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘What kind of society are we building where vulnerable Territorians are left to represent themselves in an overstretched and under resourced justice system? People who cannot afford legal representation will be left without access to a fair trial – a fundamental right in any just society. But how good is that surplus Labor!?’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘We have been here before. Legal and advocacy organisations across the country have sounded the alarm bell repeatedly, calling for sustainable, needs-based funding. This isn’t just about an overstretched legal system – it’s about the systemic impact this will have on people’s lives,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The most vulnerable adults, many of whom already face significant barriers to justice, are being abandoned by the very systems that should support them. This is a crisis for every woman forced back into violence, every Aboriginal person pushed further into the violent carceral system, and every vulnerable individual denied their right to legal assistance,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘It’s time to take this issue seriously and recognise that funding cuts come with real human costs,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226
