As the Women’s Legal Service Queensland (WLSQ) this year celebrates 40 years since being independently established to help vulnerable women and children escape domestic and family violence, the organisation is calling on all political parties to commit to a critical increase in government funding for community legal services responding to gender-based and family violence.
WLSQ CEO Nadia Bromley – a Solicitor and passionate advocate for access to justice, legal services, and women’s rights and safety, said State Government commitment to funding frontline services and addressing domestic violence more broadly was vital.
“We are calling on all political parties to fund and support three core actions,” she said.
“Committing to act on these three critical issues will ensure significant progress towards a Queensland society where all women are better protected from violence in their homes and within the community.
1. Invest in access to justice
“The elected State Government must uphold their partnership agreement with the ‘National Access to Justice Partnership’ – formed in September this year, to provide a critical increase of almost $800 million in funding to the legal assistance sector.
“The $4.7 billion plan for family violence support will roll out from July 2025 for five years. The incoming State government needs to commit to their investment this calendar year.
“Frontline community legal assistance services, like WLSQ continue to leave calls un-answered because the sheer volume exceeds our capacity.
“This is a decades-old problem that cannot be fixed by one government acting on its own once, we need State Government support as well,” said Ms Bromley.
2. Ensure laws and practices are strengthened to improve safety and hold people using violence to account.
“We continue to work hard to lobby and implement important reforms like the ‘Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce’ – which includes more than 250 recommendations over two reports to improve women and girls’ experiences in the criminal justice system as victim-survivors of sexual assault,” said Ms Bromley.
“As well as the ‘Independent Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service Responses to Domestic Family and Domestic Violence’ – a call for change and the formation of a consistent response by Police to the destructive effects of domestic and family violence throughout our communities.”
3. Grow and develop specialist workforces
“Ensuring that women and children can access the services they need to live free from violence, we need a strong and sustainable specialist domestic, family, and sexual violence sector,” said Ms Bromley.
“Our dream is for every woman who reaches out for help to be answered, heard and supported.
“For more than four decades, our organisation has ardently pursued a commitment to supporting women and children. We look forward to working with the newly elected government to do that.
“Because every woman deserves a chance for a safe future with her children,” said Ms Bromley.
Do you have questions about WLSQ? Look at the full list of frequently asked questions on our FAQs page.
Find a range of useful fact sheets and videos with tips and key information to read or share with others.
WLSQ acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live and work, particularly the Turrbul, Yuggera, Kabi Kabi/Gubbi Gubbi, Ugarapul peoples and the Yugambeh Language Region on whose lands our offices sit. We recognise their continuing connection to this Country, its waters, and culture. We acknowledge that their sovereignty was never ceded. We pay our respects to Elders, past and present, and we especially honour First Nations women and the traditions they carry.
Click here or press the ‘esc’ key to exit this site quickly.
