Preventative services 2016–17 2015–16 % change Calls to our Legal Help telephone service 191,030 186,389 2.5 Community legal education participants 14,222 11,215 27 Community legal education sessions 334 392 -15 Sessions on our website 2,034,706 1,760,227 16 Early intervention services 2016–17 2015–16 % change Legal advice, minor assistance and advocacy 41,725 40,770 2 Family Dispute Resolution Service 2016–17 2015–16 % change Number of conferences 1,044 1,097 -5 Duty lawyer services 2016–17 2015–16 % change In-house duty lawyer services 83,720 78,976 6 Private practitioner duty lawyer services 9,977 8,186 22 * Unique clients are individual clients who accessed one or more of our legal services. This does not include people for whom a client-lawyer relationship was not formed, who received information via telephone, website or in-person at court or at public counters, who participated in community legal education sessions, or clients from community legal centres. ** The Independent Mental Health Advocacy service was established 31 August 2015, therefore no variance comparing 12 months of operations is available. Grants of legal assistance 2016–17 2015–16 % change Grants of legal assistance 41,638 38,345 9 In-house grants of legal assistance 11,226 11,456 -2 Private practitioner grants of legal assistance 29,735 26,360 13 Community legal centre grants of legal assistance 677 529 28 Our services Our services Preventative and early intervention services Family Dispute Resolution Service Duty lawyer services
Grants of legal assistance Eligibility for Victoria Legal Aid services varies depending on the service provided. As the service intensity increases, eligibility tightens, as demonstrated below. Preventative and early intervention services We provide preventative services to Victorians to help them understand their legal options at the earliest opportunity and who to contact if they need further assistance. An informed person can act on their legal rights and can help prevent a legal problem from escalating, avoiding costly litigation at court. Our preventative services are free and include: our Legal Help telephone service, the main entry point to legal aid services, which provides legal information, advice and referrals our face-to-face information and referral service, available at all Victoria Legal Aid offices online and printed information through our website and publications targeted community legal education to increase people’s knowledge of their legal rights and responsibilities and mitigate the escalation of legal disputes legal advice sessions over the phone or face-to-face at our offices or via outreach services minor assistance and advice (which includes advocacy services) when there is a need for some ongoing assistance and there is a tangible benefit for the client. Legal Help telephone service Our free Legal Help telephone service received 191,030 calls, an increase of 2.5 per cent. We dealt with 125,512 of these calls, 13 per cent more than last year. The top five matters dealt with by our Legal Help telephone service were: Time spent with children Infringements (fine default) Property settlement (in family law) Family violence (application for intervention orders) The law in general. During 2016–17, callers to Legal Help were reported as: 52 per cent female 47 per cent male one per cent unspecified.
Environmental Justice Australia (Victoria)** 0 191,333 0 191,333 Federation of Community Legal Centres (Vic)** 0 826,772 0 826,772 Fitzroy Legal Service 231,651 477,835 3,000 712,486 Flemington and Kensington Community Legal Centre 122,348 258,473 0 380,821 Gippsland Community Legal Service, Anglicare Victoria 412,795 327,071 0 739,866 Homeless Law, Justice Connect** 181,604 336,525 0 518,129 Hume Riverina Community Legal Service, Upper Murray Family Care 557,784 315,461 500,000 1,373,245 Inner Melbourne Community Legal Inc. 243,619 239,451 0 483,070 Job Watch** 0 479,623 0 479,623 Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre, Advocacy and Rights Centre (including Goulburn Valley Community Legal Centre) 244,498 862,770 0 1,107,268 Monash Oakleigh Legal Service 243,416 23,859 0 267,275 Moonee Valley Legal Service 110,278 268,916 0 379,194 Murray Mallee Community Legal Service, Mallee Family Care 557,498 179,021 0 736,519 Northern Community Legal Centre 424,681 657,977 0 1,082,658 Peninsula Community Legal Centre 870,704 1,052,981 500,000 1,923,685 Refugee and Immigration Legal Centre** 0 173,312 0 173,312 Seniors Rights Victoria, Council on the Ageing** 95,039 598,195 0 693,234 Social Security Rights Victoria 258,488 40,797 0 299,285 South East Community Links** 97,548 2,185 0 99,733 Springvale Monash Legal Service 517,668 288,574 0 806,242
Ongoing—Demographic data Demographic 2016 Full-time (headcount) 2017 Full-time (headcount) 2016 Part-time (headcount) 2017 Part-time (headcount) 2016 FTE 2017 FTE (Gender) Male 117 117 13 16 126.7 128.6 (Gender) Female 289 305 167 173 402.2 424.2 (Age) 15–24 5 3 0 1 5.0 3.8 (Age) 25–34 153 159 27 31 171.1 180.0 (Age) 35–44 112 120 79 83 165.1 176.4 (Age) 45–54 73 75 43 43 103.9 106.0 (Age) 55–64 56 56 26 24 72.4 72.3 (Age) 65+ 7 10 5 6 11.4 14.2 Ongoing—Classification data Demographic 2016 Full-time (headcount) 2017 Full-time (headcount) 2016 Part-time (headcount) 2017 Part-time (headcount) 2016 FTE 2017 FTE (VLA grade) VLA1 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0 (VLA grade) VLA2 73 75 51 56 107.3 114.2 (VLA grade) VLA3 149 171 55 67 185.1 214.8 (VLA grade) VLA4 117 110 58 46 156.8 142.8 (VLA grade) VLA5 45 45 14 17 56.4 57.6 (VLA grade) VLA6 16 14 1 1 16.5 14.5 (VLA grade) Total 400 415 179 187 522.0 543.8 (Senior employees) STS 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.0
Fixed term and casual—Classification data Demographic 2016 Number (headcount) 2017 Number (headcount) 2016 FTE 2017 FTE (VLA grade) VLA1 0 0 0.0 0.0 (VLA grade) VLA2 32 41 26.1 33.8 (VLA grade) VLA3 80 92 70.1 77.2 (VLA grade) VLA4 25 25 20.9 22.7 (VLA grade) VLA5 9 6 8.5 5.9 (VLA grade) VLA6 5 4 5.0 4.0 (VLA grade) Total 151 168 130.6 143.5 (Senior employees) STS 0 0 0.0 0.0 (Senior employees) PS 0 0 0.0 0.0 (Senior employees) SMA 0 0 0.0 0.0 (Senior employees) SRA 0 0 0.0 0.0 (Senior employees) Executives 0 0 0.0 0.0 (Senior employees) Other 0 0 0.0 0.0 (Senior employees) Total 0 0 0.0 0.0 Total employees 151 168 130.6 143.5
Consultant Purpose of consultant Total approved project fee ($) (excl. GST) Expenditure ($) (excl. GST) Future expenditure ($) (excl. GST) Catherine Elvins Strategi Consulting Family Law pilot evaluation 14,873 14,873 0 Catriona Lowe Mapping provision of legal aid and services to people who rent report 15,000 15,000 0 CHW Consulting Group Data centre tender documentation preparation 15,000 15,000 0 Code for Australia Development of Online Referral Booking and Information Tool (ORBIT) 142,500 142,500 0 Colmar Bruton Annual client satisfaction survey 83,050 83,050 0 David Caple & Associates Pty Ltd Personal safety risk assessment project 32,750 29,102 0 Finity Consulting Actuarial valuation of legal debtors 36,900 36,900 0 FM Essentials Facilities policies and procedures review 31,140 31,140 0 Galaxy 42 Implementation of Enterprise Budget Module in the financial system 54,250 26,350 27,900 Galaxy 42 Implementation of Asset and Cash Module in the financial system 33,105 33,105 0
Notes 2017 $’000 Inflow/(outflow) 2017 $’000 Inflow/(outflow) Cash flows from operating activities Receipts from government Commonwealth grants 50,198 48,706 50,198 48,706 State 95,184 93,089 Public Purpose Fund 29,162 28,316 Public Purpose Fund—one-off 2,000 - 126,346 121,405 Receipts from operating activities Client contributions 2,341 2,712 Costs recovered and Appeal Costs Fund 1,286 1,300 Interest on investments 1,166 1,279 Goods and services tax recovered from the ATO 8,033 10,249 Other income 20 44 12,846 15,584 189,390 185,695 Payments to suppliers and employees Case-related professional payments (86,559) (76,659) Employee benefits (66,427) (61,464) Community legal centre payments (19,180) (20,593) Other expenditure (19,353) (17,303) (191,519) (176,019) Net cash from/(used in) operating activities 6.1 (2,129) 9,676 Cash flows from investing activities Payments for non-financial assets (2,064) (3,311) Proceeds from sale of non-financial assets 109 137 Net cash from/(used in) investing activities (1,955) (3,174) Net increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents held (4,084) 6,502 Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the financial year 48,703 42,201 Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the financial year 6.1 44,619 48,703 The above cash flow statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes. 1 ABOUT THIS REPORT Victoria Legal Aid is a statutory authority of the state of Victoria. The authority was established under the Legal Aid Act 1978 (Vic).
AASB 16 Leases The key changes introduced by AASB 16 includes the recognition of most operating leases (which are currently not recognised) on balance sheet. 1 January 2019 The assessment has indicated that as most operating leases will come on balance sheet, recognition of the assets and lease liabilities will cause net debt to increase. Rather than expensing the lease payments, depreciation of right- of-use assets and interest on lease liabilities will be recognised in the income statement with marginal impact on the operating surplus. AASB 1058 Income for Entities This standard replaces AASB 1004 Contributions and establishes revenue recognition principles for transactions where the consideration to acquire an asset is significantly less than fair value to enable not-for-profit entities to further its objectives. 1 January 2019 The assessment has indicated that revenue from capital grants that are provided under an enforceable agreement that have sufficiently specific obligations, will now be deferred and recognised as performance obligations are satisfied. As a result, the timing recognition of revenue will change. 8.10 Changes to accounting policies Subsequent to the 2015–16 reporting period, the following new and revised Standards have been adopted in the current period with their financial impact detailed as below. Australian Accounting Standard AASAB 124 Related Party Disclosures commenced on 1 July 2016. This standard extends the scope of related party disclosures to not-for-profit public sector entities, which results in additional disclosures in relation the key management personnel and related party transactions (refer to Note 8.5). 8.11 Glossary of technical terms Amortisation is the expense that results from the consumption, extraction or use over time of a non-produced physical or intangible asset. This expense is classified as an ‘other economic flow’. Commitments include those operating, capital and other outsourcing commitments arising from non-cancellable contractual or statutory sources. Comprehensive result is the amount included in the operating statement representing total change in net worth other than transactions with owners as owners.
Submission to Commonwealth Risk Management Inquiry based on Auditor-General’s Report 18 ‘Qualifying for the Disability Support Pension’ Parliament of Australia Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit November 2016 Submission on the Medical Treatment Planning and Decisions Bill 2016 Victorian Government November 2016 Submission to inquiry into child protection permanency amendments Victorian Commission for Children and Young People November 2016 Submission to inquiry into the use of isolation, separation and lockdowns in the Victorian youth justice system Victorian Commission for Children and Young People December 2016 Joint submission regarding an internal appeals division for the Residential Tenancies List Victorian Government December 2016 Submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance December 2016 Submission on Notices of Hearing in Residential Tenancy matters Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal December 2016 Submission on the introduction of a new report for Electroconvulsive Treatment hearings Mental Health Tribunal December 2016 Submission to the Inquiry into the Migration Legislation Amendment (Code of Procedure Harmonisation) Bill 2016 Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee January 2017 Submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences January 2017 Submission on consultation paper on proposed legislative model for child safety and wellbeing information sharing Victorian Government Department of Premier and Cabinet January 2017 Submission to Review of Victoria’s Bail System Review of Victoria’s Bail System February 2017
Joint submission to introduce re-hearing process for Residential Tenancies cases at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Victorian Government February 2017 Submission on Fines Reform Amendment Bill 2017, including proposed new scheme for victims of family violence Victorian Government Department of Justice and Regulation February 2017 Submission to the Residential Tenancies Act Review: Heading for Home: Options Discussion Paper Victorian Government Department of Justice and Regulation February 2017 Submission on Proposed Activities (Public Amenity and Security) Local Law 2017 affecting people experiencing homelessness Melbourne City Council March 2017 Submission on proposed Infringements Act 2006 Work and Development Permit Scheme Guidelines Victorian Government Department of Justice and Regulation March 2017 Submission to Parliamentary Inquiry into Youth Justice Centres in Victoria Victorian Parliament Standing Committee on Legal and Social Issues March 2017 Submission to inquiry into the provision of services under the National Disability Insurance Scheme for people with psychosocial disabilities related to a mental health condition Parliament of Australia Joint Standing Committee on the National Disability Insurance Scheme March 2017 Submission to inquiry into drug law reform Victorian Parliament Law Reform, Road and Community Safety Committee March 2017 Submission to Review of Lawyers’ Practising Certificate Fees Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner March 2017 Submission to the inquiry into Centrelink’s ‘robo-debt’ initiative: The design, scope, cost-benefit analysis, contracts awarded and implementation associated with the Better Management of the Social Welfare System initiative Senate Community Affairs References Committee April 2017 Submission to ‘Shaping our Future: Discussion on Disability Rights’ Disability Discrimination Commissioner April 2017 Submission on discussion paper on ‘Swift, Certain and Fair Approaches to the Sentencing of Family Violence Offenders’ Sentencing Advisory Council April 2017
Submission on management of migration matters in the Federal Circuit Court Federal Circuit Court April 2017 Submission to the Commonwealth parliamentary inquiry into a better family law system to support and protect those affected by family violence Parliament of Australia Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs May 2017 Submission about access to justice for people with disabilities under Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights May 2017 National Legal Aid submissions that Victoria Legal Aid endorsed Submission Authority Date Submission to consultation on Australian National Standards for Working with Interpreters in Courts and Tribunals Judicial Council on Cultural Diversity August 2016 Response to Elder Abuse Inquiry Discussion Paper 47 Australian Law Reform Commission November 2016 Submission to consultation on draft terms of reference for the Australian Law Reform Commission inquiry into the incarceration rates of Indigenous Australians Legal Assistance Branch of the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department January 2017 Submission to Australian Government Federal Budget 2017–2018 Australian Government Department of Treasury Budget Policy Division February 2017 Submission on proposed amendments to the Family Law Act 1975 to respond to family violence Family Law Branch of the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department February 2017 Response to Elder Abuse Inquiry Discussion Paper 83 Australian Law Reform Commission March 2017 Submission to Commonwealth parliamentary inquiry into a better family law system to support and protect those affected by family violence Parliament of Australia Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs May 2017