Funding cuts to Victorian Legal Aid last year saw assistance slashed for people in the Family Court if they were acting against a person who was also unrepresented by a lawyer.
The cuts were heavily criticised, including by the Family Court’s Chief Justice, Diana Bryant, amid fears that leaving parents to cross-examine each other could retraumatise those with a history of family violence.
Now, Legal Aid has made an exception for family violence victims whose perpetrators had been convicted of breaching an intervention order or other family-violence related offences, or if the police or government department had helped them move due to safety concerns. Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/legal-aid-restored-for-family-violence-victims-20140831-109ers.html
