Family Violence and Cross-Examination of Parties Scheme

Overview

The Australian Government is inviting organisations via a closed non-competitive process to apply to deliver legal representation services under the Family Violence and Cross-examination of Parties Scheme (the program). This program sits under Program 1.4 Justice Services.  The government has committed approximately $48.8 million over 4 years from 2023-24 to 2026-27 for the Attorney-General’s Department to support the program’s continued operation and meet expected demand. This includes funding for both legal representation and a dedicated Scheme coordination role.  The objectives of the grant opportunity are to ensure that legal aid commissions (LACs) continue to have sufficient resources to provide legal representation for parties subject to the ban on direct cross-examination. LACs do not need to reallocate funding away from other Commonwealth service priorities, such as other family law matters, to meet the cost of matters affected by the ban on direct cross-examination and cross-examination can occur in matters in which direct cross-examination is banned. The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are to: prevent the re-traumatisation of victims of family violence maintain procedural fairness for all parties ensure that victims do not settle their matter and enter into unsafe arrangements because of a fear of direct cross-examination.