Over $260,000 in grants has been allocated to 27 legal centres servicing communities in Toowoomba, the Gold Coast, Mackay, Townsville, Cairns, greater Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, including the Moreton Bay Regional Community Legal Service.
The Moreton Bay centre provides assistance and advice to empower people to handle legal issues that affect their lives. The centre caters for a huge area between Maroochydore and Strathpine.
Laurence McMahon, CEO, said the grant funds would be directed towards the upgrade of digital hardware and software to ensure the organisation is better equipped to service people living in and around Caboolture, adding:
“This area is quickly growing and we do service a geographically immense area so it is important that we have an effective and efficient IT system to cater for clients who may be located some distance from their local legal clinic.”
He said the injection of cash into the community legal service will assist greatly and enhance what is on offer. Services such as these are often advertised via flyer printing campaigns, council websites and media reports.
Attorney General Yvette D’Ath said the degree of suitable, accessible and available digital support and infrastructure across the sector varied greatly and the funding would give the communities a chance to address the prevailing issues in each area.