Expensive Commonwealth Criminal Cases Fund (ECCCF)

Overview

The Australian Government is inviting organisations via a demand-driven (eligibility based) process to apply to deliver services under Outcome 1, Program 1.4 of the Attorney-General’s Department Portfolio Budget Statement (PBS). The purpose of the ECCCF is to provide funding to support Legal Aid Commissions (LACs) with costs incurred defending clients in: serious, high cost, Commonwealth criminal matters (such as drug importation, people smuggling, terrorism, fraud and slavery) Commonwealth post-sentence order (PSO) matters, including control orders, extended supervision orders and continuing detention orders Community safety order (CSO) matters, including community safety detention orders and community safety supervision orders. The intended outcomes of the program are to ensure: LACs have sufficient resources to provide an adequate legal defence for people who cannot afford private legal representation where they have been charged with serious Commonwealth criminal offences or are subject to an application for a PSO or CSO LACs do not need to reallocate funding away from other Commonwealth service priorities, such as family law matters, to meet the cost of expensive Commonwealth criminal law matters serious Commonwealth criminal law proceedings, including PSO and CSO matters, are prevented from being adjourned or stayed due to a lack of legal representation, and/or the defence of an indigent is cost-effective for the Commonwealth. The program operates on an ongoing basis. Annual Budget figures are published in the department’s PBS.