2025-26 Pre-Budget Submission
21 February 2025
On 7 February 2025, the Law Council provided a submission to the Treasury to inform its development of the 2025-26 Federal Budget, scheduled to be handed down on 25 March 2025.
Our submission was informed by contributions from the Law Institute of Victoria, the Law Society of the Australian Capital Territory, and the Law Society of New South Wales, in addition to a variety of Law Council Advisory Committees and Working Groups. We are grateful for all the input received.
Our submission identifies various important areas in which increased investment by the Australian Government – necessary to improve access to justice outcomes and to promote and uphold the rule of law – should be directed. These areas include:
- legal assistance funding;
- recruitment and retention of legal practitioners in rural, regional and remote areas;
- anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing;
- national leadership on youth justice system reform;
- protecting the rights of individuals in detention;
- supporting the rule of law, administration of justice, and accountability and integrity, including by establishing a Federal Judicial Commission and Federal Parole Authority;
- supporting access to legal information;
- agency resourcing; and
- support for independent legal professional bodies in the South Pacific.
In the lead-up to, and following, the 2025 Federal Election, we will continue to engage with the Treasury, Government, and individual Parliamentarians regarding our key calls for funding.
Last Updated on 18/02/2025