2026–27 Pre-Budget Submission
18 February 2026
On 6 February 2026, the Law Council submitted recommendations to the Treasury for the 2026–27 Budget, due to be handed down on 12 May 2026.
A focus of the Law Council’s submission was investment in initiatives that can assist in improving outcomes for individuals experiencing disadvantage and support a greater number of people in protecting their rights.
The submission also emphasised that it is a critical time for the Australian Government to consider how law reform and government investment can best promote the rule of law, ensure the administration of justice, and build trust in public institutions.
Key funding priorities included:
- Legal Assistance Sector: Address workforce shortages through increased funding, align private practitioner rates with court scales, and implement recommendations from the Independent Review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership.
- Independent Children’s Lawyers (ICLs): Allocate more than $80 million annually to ensure adequate availability of ICLs.
- First Nations Legal Services: Increase funding for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and Family Violence Prevention Legal Services to support culturally safe, community-controlled programs.
- Disaster Legal Services: Establish ongoing funding to support legal needs arising from natural disasters.
- RRR Legal Workforce Development: Introduce a HELP debt relief scheme to attract and retain lawyers in rural, regional, and remote communities.
- Courts and Tribunals: Invest in infrastructure and technology, including resources to support the effective use of artificial intelligence.
- Federal Judicial Commission: Establish and fund a Federal Judicial Commission to enhance transparency, independence, and public confidence in the judiciary.
- Fair Work Commission: Provide additional funding to manage increased caseloads and modernise remote conferencing systems.
- Whistleblower Ombudsman: Support the establishment of a dedicated Whistleblower Ombudsman (within the Commonwealth Ombudsman) with sufficient resources.
- Australian Human Rights Commission: Increase funding for conciliators and improve the efficiency of discrimination matter processes.
- Privacy Act Reforms: Provide additional resources to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner to implement Privacy Act reforms and manage increased reporting obligations.
- Hate Crimes and Hate Speech: Expand funding to address all forms of hate crimes and hate speech, with input from affected communities, including First Nations people.
- OPCAT Implementation: Fund and designate National Preventive Mechanisms to meet Australia’s obligations under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture.
- National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children: Provide sustained funding for specialist legal services and social programs, particularly in rural, regional, and remote areas.
- Disability Justice: Fund implementation of recommendations from the Disability Royal Commission, including the development of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Disability Framework.
- Cultural Heritage Protection: Strengthen legislation to protect First Nations cultural heritage and progress recommendations from the Juukan Gorge Report.
- Small Business Support: Support small legal practices with compliance training for anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing obligations and cybersecurity capability building.
- Corporations and Financial Services Law Reform Advisory Body: Reestablish an apolitical advisory body to provide expert guidance on corporate and financial services law reform.
The Law Council will continue to advocate for allocation of funding for these key priorities in the lead up to the 2026 Federal Budget.
The Law Council thanks the Law Society of New South Wales, Law Society of South Australia, Law Institute of Victoria and the Queensland Law Society, in addition to a variety of Law Council Advisory Committees and Sections, for their input to this submission.
Last Updated on 17/02/2026