Australian legal help: choosing the right official starting point
Where to start for legal help in Australia: the Attorney-General's Department gives no case advice, while each state's or territory's legal aid commission handles information, advice and representation through its own means and merits tests.
Start with the legal aid commission for the state or territory where your problem is happening. There is one in each state and territory, and each handles that jurisdiction's matters. One thing to clear up first: the Attorney-General and the Attorney-General's Department cannot give people legal advice or provide them with a lawyer.
What the federal role does and does not cover
Federal material explains who provides legal assistance and how the system is structured. It points you onward. It does not assess your case, and it is not where you apply for a lawyer.
Why the state or territory matters
Legal aid commissions are independent statutory bodies. Each one delivers its own mix of services — information, legal advice, and representation in courts and tribunals — and each applies its own rules to the people it sees.
The practical effect is that the answer to "where do I start?" depends on where the problem sits. A family law matter, a criminal matter, a workplace dispute or a car accident all run through different parts of the local system, and the commission covering that area is the one that can act.
Free information is not the same as funded representation
This is the distinction most worth holding onto. Information and services including telephone advice are often free of charge.
Representation through a grant of aid is a different step. Applicants must satisfy means and merits tests set by legal aid commissions. Those tests are not automatic, and being eligible for a service does not mean an application will succeed.
So when a commission answers a phone call for free, that tells you nothing about whether funds are available to send someone to court with you. Ask about the two separately.
The commissions
| State or territory | Commission |
|---|---|
| New South Wales | Legal Aid New South Wales |
| Victoria | Victoria Legal Aid |
| Queensland | Legal Aid Queensland |
| Western Australia | Legal Aid Western Australia |
| South Australia | Legal Services Commission of South Australia |
| Tasmania | Legal Aid Commission of Tasmania |
| Australian Capital Territory | Legal Aid Australian Capital Territory |
| Northern Territory | Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission |
If you are not sure which one applies, the National Legal Aid website is a reasonable place to orient yourself before contacting anyone.
What to have ready when you make contact
Bring the basics so the commission can work out whether it can help and what the next step is.
- The state or territory where the problem is happening
- Key dates, including any hearing or lodgement date already fixed
- Documents you have received, such as court papers, notices or letters
- A short account of what happened, in date order
- Any deadline you are worried about
If you have a court date, say so in the first call. Deadlines tend to shape which services a commission can offer you within the time available.
A free consultation
For anything time-critical or high-stakes, talking to a lawyer before you act can prevent mistakes that are hard to undo. Legal aid commissions explain what they can and cannot take on, and what a private lawyer might be able to do instead. That conversation costs nothing and gives you a clearer picture than working it out alone.