NATIONAL PARTNERSHIP

AGREEMENT ON LEGAL ASSISTANCE SERVICES

Governments

Anagreementbetween

theCommonwealthofAustraliaand

theStatesandTerritories,being:

NewSouthWales

Victoria

Queensland

WesternAustralia

SouthAustralia

Tasmania

theAustralianCapitalTerritory

theNorthernTerritory

ThisAgreementwillfacilitateaccesstojusticefordisadvantagedpeopleinAustraliathroughthedeliveryoflegalassistanceservices.

National Partnership

Agreement on Legal Assistance Services

INTERGOVERNMENTALAGREEMENT

ONFEDERALFINANCIALRELATIONS

PRELIMINARIES

1.This National Partnership Agreement(the Agreement) is createdsubjecttothe provisions ofthe IntergovernmentalAgreement on FederalFinancialRelations(IGA FFR) andshould be readin conjunction with thatAgreementandits Schedules,whichprovide information in relation to performance reporting andpaymentarrangementsunder the IGA FFR.

2.In entering this Agreement,the Commonwealth andthe States andTerritories:

(a)recognise thatthey have mutual interestin working together toimprove access tojustice and resolve legalproblems forthe mostdisadvantagedpeople in Australiaandmaximise service delivery through the effective andefficientuseofavailable resources; and

(b)are committed toprogressing issues thataffectthelegalassistance sector andsupportthe principles of the National Strategic Framework forLegalAssistance.

3.This Agreement:

(a)seeks toimprove the targeting oflegalassistanceservices topeople facing disadvantage whohave the greatestlegalneeds,including peopleexperiencing,oratrisk of,family violence;

(b)supports a holisticapproachtoaddressing legalneedthrough collaborationwith,and coordinatedservice delivery between,legalandnon-legalsectors,includingby delivering appropriate and timelyservices tobestmeetpeople’s legalneeds;

(c)aims toempower and buildresilience within the community toresolve legalproblems;and

(d)sets outarrangementsforthe delivery ofCommonwealth-fundedlegalassistance services by legalaidcommissions andcommunity legalcentres.

4.This Agreementseeks to supportanationallegalassistance sector.While the terms of this Agreementapply onlytoCommonwealthfunding forlegalaidcommissions and community legal centres, the principles setout in this Agreement are relevantforthe broader sector,including Indigenouslegalassistance providers andfamily violence prevention legalservices.

5.This Agreement alsoprovides fundingforthe Commonwealth’sshare of thewage increases arising from FairWork Australia’s decision on 1 February 2012 togrant an Equal Remuneration Order in the SocialandCommunity Services (SACS)sector.The Commonwealth’s commitmentincludes providing funding forits share of the wage increases forin-scope programmes.This funding will contribute toassisting theSACSsectorwith increasedwage costs arising from recentPay Equity Orders.

PART1—FORMALITIES

Partiesto this Agreement

6.This Agreementis between the Commonwealthof Australia(the Commonwealth) andtheStates andTerritories (the States).

Term of thisAgreement

7.This Agreementwillcommence as soonas the Commonwealth and one other Party sign the Agreementandwillexpire on30June 2020,or on finalperformance reporting against the performance benchmarksandmilestones.This Agreementmay be terminatedearlier orextended as agreedin writing by the Parties.

PART2—OBJECTIVE,OUTCOMESANDOUTPUTS

Objective

8.The objective of this Agreementisanationallegalassistancesector thatisintegrated,efficientand effective,focused on improving access tojusticefordisadvantagedpeople andmaximising service delivery within available resources.

Outcomes

9.This Agreementwill facilitate achievement ofthe following outcomes:

(a)legalassistance servicesare targeted topriority clients with the greatestlegalneed;

(b)legalassistance serviceproviders collaborate with eachother,governments,the private legal professionand other services,toprovide joined-up services toaddresspeople’s legaland relatedproblems;

(c)legalassistance services are appropriate,proportionate and tailoredtopeople’s legalneeds andlevels of capability;

(d)legalassistance services help people toidentify their legalproblems and facilitate the resolutionof thoseproblems in a timelymanner before they escalate; and

(e)legalassistance services help empower people tounderstandandassert theirlegalrights and responsibilities andtoaddress, orprevent,legalproblems.

Outputs

10.The objective and outcomes ofthis Agreementwill be achievedthrough:

(a)thedelivery ofefficientand effective legalassistance services within eachState;

(b)participationbythe States and the legalassistancesectorincollaborative service planning, withguidance providedinSchedule A; and

(c)provisionof Commonwealth SACS supplementation toEligible Service Providers impacted by the Pay Equity Orders.

PART3—ROLESANDRESPONSIBILITIESOFEACHPARTY

11.Torealise the objectiveand outcomes ofthis Agreement,eachPartyhas specific roles and responsibilities,as outlinedbelow.

Rolesof the Commonwealth

12.The Commonwealth agrees tobe accountable for the following roles and responsibilities:

(a)providing a financialcontributionto the States for the delivery oflegalassistance services by legalaidcommissionsandcommunity legalcentres;

(b)monitoring andassessingperformancein the delivery oflegalassistance services under this Agreement toensure that outputs are deliveredand outcomes are achievedwithin the agreed timeframes;

(c)providing nationalguidance,oversightandsupportfor collaborative service planning (Schedule A);

(d)specifyingCommonwealth prioritiesandeligibilityprinciplesforthe delivery oflegal assistanceservices underthis Agreement (Schedule B);and

(e)providing a forumtofacilitate information sharingwith the States regardingbestpractice delivery oflegalassistance services.

13.Separate to this Agreement,the Commonwealth willadminister the ExpensiveCommonwealth CriminalCases Fund,under whichlegalaid commissions can apply,pursuanttoguidelines,for reimbursement oflegalcosts incurredin expensive,complex Commonwealth criminalcases.

Rolesof the States

14.The States agree tobe accountable for the following roles and responsibilities:

(a)administering Commonwealth fundingforthe delivery oflegalassistance services by legal aidcommissionsandcommunity legalcentres,in accordance with the Commonwealth priorities atSchedule B;

(b)in 2015-16and2016-17,distributing Commonwealth fundingforthe deliveryof legal assistance services by specificcommunity legalcentres listedin Schedule C;

(c)determining the methodologyforthe distributionofCommonwealth fundingfor the delivery of legalassistanceservices by community legalcentres (exceptforthe funding referredtoin clause 14(b)),informedby the outcomes of collaborative service planning;

(d)from 2017-18, distributing defined funding to community legal centres for family law services and family violence related services;

(e)ensuring that the Commonwealth supplementationfor theSACSsectoris distributed onlyto Eligible Service Providers,as definedin the NationalPartnershipAgreementonPayEquity fortheSACS sector,through aclear andfairprocess thatis consistentwith the principles of proceduralfairness setoutin Schedule Bof theSACSNational PartnershipAgreement;

(f)undertakingcollaborative service planning,including meetings with the legal assistance sector,to improve coordination between service providers in the planning and delivery ofservices,with reference to theguidanceatSchedule A;

(g)facilitating surveys oflegalaidcommissionandcommunity legalcentre clients;

(h)monitoring andassessing the delivery of legalassistance services under this Agreement; and

(i)reportingto the Commonwealth on the delivery oflegalassistance services under this Agreement,as set out inPart4 – Performance Monitoring andReporting.

Sharedroles

15.The Parties share the following roles and responsibilities:

(a)endorsing the methodologyfor the distributionofCommonwealth fundingin 2015-16and 2016-17 tospecificcommunity legalcentres listedin Schedule C;

(b)participating in biannual jurisdictionalforums with legalassistancesectorrepresentatives, establishedandcoordinatedby States,toconsider issues affecting the legalassistance sector,share bestpractice service delivery models andstrengthennetworksbetweenservice providers;

(c)agreeing the methodologyforsurveys of legalaidcommissionandcommunity legalcentre clients anda setof nationalsurvey questions[1],with the States to facilitate thesurveysin accordance with clause 14(g) of this Agreement;

(d)meeting biannually ona bilateralbasis with the Commonwealthtodiscuss the operation of this Agreement; and

(e)conducting evaluations and reviews ofservices andoutputs deliveredin accordance with Part6 of this Agreement.

16.The Parties willmeetthe requirements of ScheduleE, clause 26 ofthe IGA FFR by ensuring that prioragreementis reached on the nature andcontent ofany events,announcements,promotional materialorpublicity relating toactivitiesunder this Agreement,andthatthe roles of both Parties will be acknowledgedandrecognisedappropriately.

PART4—PERFORMANCEMONITORINGANDREPORTING

Performance indicators

17.Progress towards the objective and outcomesof this Agreementwill beinformed with reference to the following performance indicators:

(a)theproportionof representation services delivered topriority clients.Forreporting purposes, the Stateswillreport ona subset of priority clients comprising:childrenandyoung people (up to24 years); peopleexperiencing financialdisadvantage; Indigenous Australians; older people(aged over 65 years); people experiencing,orat risk of,family violence; people residingin rural orremote areas; people whoare culturally andlinguisticallydiverse; and people with adisability ormentalillness;

(b)theproportion ofclients receiving quality servicesthatare deliveredappropriately tomatch clients’ legalneeds andlevels of capability,as measuredthrough clientsurveys;

(c)forlegalaidcommissionsonly,the number of facilitatedresolutionprocessesandthe percentageof processes that resultin aheldconference reachingfullorpartialsettlement of matters;

(d)from 2017-18, for community legal centres, the number of services delivered to clients experiencing or at risk of family violence, including the number of representation services, legal advices, duty lawyer services, and legal tasks, and

(e)the number oflegalassistance services delivered(comprising:information and referral; legal advice;legal task; dutylawyer services; dispute resolution;court/litigation and other representation; andcommunity legaleducation),disaggregatedby service type andlawtype.

Performance benchmarks

18.The Parties agree to meetthe following performance benchmarks:

(a)forlegalaidcommissions,95%ormore of representation services are delivered topeople experiencing financialdisadvantage– tobe achievedby eachState in each six monthperiod from 1July 2015onwards;

(b)forcommunity legalcentres, 85%ormore oftotalrepresentation services are delivered to people experiencingfinancialdisadvantage– tobeachievedby eachState inaggregate across allcommunity legalcentresin each six month periodbetween 1July 2015and30June 2017;and

(c)forcommunity legalcentres,90%ormore oftotalrepresentation services are delivered to people experiencingfinancialdisadvantage– tobeachievedby eachState inaggregate across allcommunity legalcentresin each six month periodfrom 1July 2017onwards.

Milestones

19.The Parties agree to meetthe following milestones:

(a)endorsement ofthemethodologyforCommonwealth fundingin 2015-16and2016-17 to specificcommunity legalcentres listedin Schedule C–upon signing this Agreement;

(b)reporton the distributionof Commonwealth funding tocommunity legalcentres that outlines:

(i)thecommunity legalcentresthatwillreceive fundingin the relevantfundingperiod– annually from 2015-16;

(ii)the State andCommonwealth funding profilefor eachcommunity legal centre, separatelyidentifying funding from aPublicPurpose Fund(orequivalent),where applicable – annually from 2015-16;

(iii)the funding period(whichmay be longer than one year) – annually from 2015-16;

(iv)theprovisionof Commonwealth SACS supplementation toEligible Service Providers impactedby the Pay Equity Orders – annually from 2015-16; and

(v)the distribution of defined funding to community legal centres and the supporting evidence for that distribution,including relevant evidence of legal need, relevant capability or expertise of community legal centres receiving funding and how the distribution was informed by collaborative service planning practices– annually from 2017-18.

(c)development ofaProjectPlan setting outhow thecollaborative service planningprocess will be implementedby 1July2016– once in 2015-16;

(d)implementation ofcollaborative service planning andprovisionofaprogressreportagainst the ProjectPlan –once in2015-16;

(e)conductcollaborative service planning–annually from 2016-17–including:

(i)use ofquality data sources as an evidence base toidentify priority clientgroups and theirlocations;

(ii)participation incollaborative service planning meetings; and

(iii)provisionof areporton key outcomes resulting from the service planning process;

(f)facilitate twosurveys oflegalaidcommissionclients andtwo surveys ofcommunity legal centre clients,using standardisedquestions developedby the Parties, to assess whether services are tailoredtomeetclients’legalneeds andcapability levels –one survey per year from 2016-17,with asummaryof surveyresults provided tothe Commonwealth; and

(g)conducta case study within the sector ofaservice being deliveredin amore effective, efficient orinnovative way tobetter meetclients’ legalneeds andcapability levels,and/or resolve legalproblems in a timelyway–one case studyper year, witha summaryof the case studyprovidedto the Commonwealth,from 2016-17.

Reporting arrangements

20.The States willprovide six-monthly reports to the Commonwealth demonstrating,in accordance with Table 1:

(a)performance against the relevantmilestones for reporting periods specified in Table 1; and

(b)fromthe March2016 report onwards, performance against indicators andbenchmarks for the previoussix month period(January toJune forSeptemberreport,July to December for Marchreport).

21.Whenreporting on the relevantindicators andbenchmarks,States will report separatelyon the services deliveredby legalaidcommissions andcommunity legalcentres. Forservices deliveredby community legalcentres,performance informationis tobe aggregated tothe State level.

22.Table 1summarisestheperformance indicators,benchmarks andmilestonesStates are required to reportfor eachsix-monthperiod.

Table1:Reportingarrangements

Performance indicators,benchmarks andmilestones / Reporting period / Report due date
Reporting for 2015-16 estimated financial contributions
  • Endorsement ofthemethodologyforthe distributionofCommonwealthfunding to community legalcentres listedin Schedule C (clause 19(a)).
/ N/A / N/A–signature of this Agreement constitutes endorsement
  • ProjectPlan oncollaborative service planning (clause 19(c)); and
/ 2015-16 / 30September 2015
  • Report on the distribution of community legal centre funding (clause 19(b)).
/ 2015-16
Reporting for 2016-17 estimated financial contributions
  • Performance indicators (clause 17);
/ July to Dec 2015 / 31March2016
  • Performance benchmarks(clause 18);and
/ July to Dec 2015
  • Progress reportonthe implementation of collaborative service planning (clause 19(d)).
/ 2015-16
  • Performance indicators (clause 17);
/ Jan toJune 2016 / 30September 2016
  • Performance benchmarks(clause 18);and
/ Jan toJune 2016
  • Report on the distributionofcommunity legal centre funding (clause 19(b)).
/ 2016-17
Performance indicators,benchmarks andmilestones / Reporting period / Report due date
Reporting for 2017-18estimated financial contributions
  • Performance indicators (clause 17);
/ July to Dec 2016 / 31March2017
  • Performance benchmarks(clause 18);
/ July to Dec 2016
  • Conduct,andprovide a summaryon,a case study within the sector(clause 19(g));and
/ 2016-17
  • Collaborative service planning (clause 19(e)).
/ 2016-17
  • Performance indicators (clause 17);
/ Jan toJune 2017 / 30September 2017
  • Performance benchmarks(clause18);
/ Jan toJune 2017
  • Facilitate andprovide a summaryon,a client survey (clause19(f)); and
/ 2016-17
  • Report on the distributionofcommunity legal centre funding (clause 19(b))
/ 2017-18
Reporting for 2018-19 estimated financial contributions
  • Performance indicators (clause 17);
/ July to Dec 2017 / 31March2018
  • Performance benchmarks(clause 18);
/ July to Dec 2017
  • Conduct,andprovide a summaryon,a case study within the sector(clause 19(g));and
/ 2017-18
  • Collaborative service planning(clause 19(e)).
/ 2017-18
  • Performance indicators (clause 17);
/ Jan toJune 2018 / 30September 2018
  • Performance benchmarks(clause 18);
/ Jan toJune 2018
  • Facilitate,andprovide a summaryon,a client survey (clause19(f)); and
/ 2017-18
  • Report on the distributionofcommunity legal centre funding (clause 19(b))
/ 2018-19
Reporting for 2019-20estimated financial contributions
  • Performance indicators (clause 17);
/ July to Dec 2018 / 31March2019
  • Performance benchmarks(clause 18);
/ July to Dec 2018
  • Conduct,andprovide a summaryon,a case study within the sector(clause 19(g));and
/ 2018-19
  • Collaborative service planning (clause 19(e)).
/ 2018-19
  • Performance indicators (clause 17);
/ Jan toJune 2019 / 30September 2019
  • Performance benchmarks(clause18);
/ Jan toJune 2019
  • Facilitate,andprovide a summaryon,a client survey (clause19(f)); and
/ 2018-19
  • Report on the distributionofcommunity legal centre funding (clause 19(b))
/ 2019-20

23.The States willalso provide the Commonwealth with afinal reportdueby 30September 2020:

(a)including the conduct and outcomes of collaborative service planning in 2019-20 in accordance with clause 19(e);

(b)including the summaryofacase study,conductedin 2019-20in accordance with clause 19(g);

(c)including a summaryof clientsurveyresults,forasurveyconductedin 2019-20in accordance withclause 19(f);

(d)demonstrating forthe sixmonthperiod(July to December2019) performance against the indicators andbenchmarksin accordance with clauses 17and18; and

(e)demonstrating forthe sixmonthperiod(January toJune 2020) performanceagainst the indicators andbenchmarks in accordance with clauses 17and18.

24.Where existing systems donotfacilitate the collection ofdata requiredtobereportedunder this Agreement,the Parties willagree the proxies tobeusedforthose items (orthe itemnotreported)untilsuch time as systems are implemented torecordthose items.

PART5—FINANCIALARRANGEMENTS

Financial contributions

25.The Commonwealth willprovide a totalfinancialcontributionto the States of $1305.492 million in respectof this Agreement,comprising:

(a)$1070.651millionforlegalaidcommissions;

(b)$175.372millionforcommunity legalcentres;

(c)$37.599millionforspecificcommunity legalcentreslistedin Schedule C; and

(d)$21.870million forSACSsupplementation for community legalcentres.

26.The Commonwealth’s estimatedfinancialcontribution to the operation ofthis Agreement,made through NationalPartnership payments to the States paidin accordance withScheduleD— PaymentArrangementsof the IGA FFR, is shown inTable 2.

27.The Commonwealth’s financialcontribution will beallocated between the States using evidence-basedfunding allocation modelsfrom 2015-16.

28.The first payment of defined funding in 2017-18 will be made on written agreement of all Parties to the variation of this Agreement to include that funding.

29.The Commonwealth’s financialcontribution willnot be reduced where the States securefunding from other activity partners through innovative andcollaborative partnerships.

Table2:EstimatedCommonwealthfinancialcontributionforlegalassistanceservices2

($ million) / 2015-16 / 2016-17 / 2017-18 / 2018-19 / 2019-20 / Total
Estimated total budget / 250.942 / 257.144 / 261.514 / 265.880 / 270.012 / 1305.492
New SouthWales / 74.648 / 76.625 / 77.757 / 78.821 / 79.811 / 387.662
Legalaidcommissions / 63.208 / 64.072 / 64.822 / 65.583 / 66.248 / 323.933
Community legal centres / 6.865 / 7.853 / 9.016 / 9.137 / 9.269 / 42.139
Community legal centres (Schedule C) / 4.204 / 4.204 / - / - / - / 8.409
Community legal centres - defined funding / 3.271 / 3.329 / 3.392 / 9.992
SACS / 0.371 / 0.496 / 0.648 / 0.772 / 0.902 / 3.189
Community legal centres total / 11.44 / 12.553 / 12.935 / 13.238 / 13.563 / 63.729
Victoria / 57.579 / 59.158 / 60.148 / 61.131 / 62.056 / 300.072
Legalaidcommissions / 47.912 / 48.642 / 49.287 / 49.939 / 50.518 / 246.298
Community legalcentres / 5.424 / 6.085 / 6.836 / 6.938 / 7.046 / 32.329
Community legal centres (Schedule C) / 3.652 / 3.652 / - / - / - / 7.304
Community legal centres - defined funding / 3.071 / 3.114 / 3.160 / 9.344
SACS / 0.591 / 0.779 / 0.954 / 1.140 / 1.332 / 4.796
Community legalcentrestotal / 9.667 / 10.516 / 10.861 / 11.192 / 11.538 / 53.774
Queensland / 50.060 / 51.401 / 52.372 / 53.328 / 54.239 / 261.400
Legalaidcommissions / 41.691 / 42.456 / 43.148 / 43.850 / 44.493 / 215.638
Community legal centres / 4.869 / 5.331 / 5.712 / 5.812 / 5.919 / 27.644
Community legal centres (Schedule C) / 2.512 / 2.512 / - / - / - / 5.023
Community legal centres - defined funding / 2.266 / 2.301 / 2.339 / 6.906
SACS / 0.988 / 1.102 / 1.246 / 1.365 / 1.488 / 6.189
Community legalcentrestotal / 8.369 / 8.945 / 9.224 / 9.478 / 9.746 / 45.762
Western Australia / 29.021 / 29.851 / 30.547 / 31.309 / 32.047 / 152.775
Legalaidcommissions / 23.480 / 24.030 / 24.538 / 25.053 / 25.534 / 122.635
Community legal centres / 2.329 / 2.478 / 3.523 / 3.600 / 3.680 / 15.611
Community legal centres (Schedule C) / 2.718 / 2.718 / - / - / - / 5.435
Community legal centres - defined funding / 1.746 / 1.766 / 1.787 / 5.299
SACS / 0.494 / 0.625 / 0.740 / 0.890 / 1.046 / 3.795
Community legalcentrestotal / 5.541 / 5.821 / 6.009 / 6.256 / 6.513 / 30.140
SouthAustralia / 19.483 / 19.789 / 20.047 / 20.312 / 20.559 / 100.190
Legalaidcommissions / 15.699 / 15.879 / 16.034 / 16.191 / 16.326 / 80.129
Community legal centres / 0.348 / 0.411 / 2.418 / 2.444 / 2.472 / 8.092
Community legal centres (Schedule C) / 3.188 / 3.188 / - / - / - / 6.377
Community legal centres - defined funding / 1.231 / 1.244 / 1.257 / 3.732
SACS / 0.248 / 0.311 / 0.364 / 0.433 / 0.504 / 1.860
Community legalcentrestotal / 3.784 / 3.91 / 4.013 / 4.121 / 4.233 / 20.061
Tasmania / 7.274 / 7.303 / 7.391 / 7.479 / 7.561 / 37.008
Legalaidcommissions / 5.747 / 5.804 / 5.853 / 5.903 / 5.945 / 29.252
Community legal centres / 0.830 / 0.783 / 0.944 / 0.952 / 0.961 / 4.471
Community legal centres (Schedule C) / 0.597 / 0.597 / - / - / - / 1.193
Community legal centres - defined funding / 0.452 / 0.456 / 0.460 / 1.367
SACS / 0.100 / 0.119 / 0.142 / 0.168 / 0.195 / 0.724
Community legalcentrestotal / 1.527 / 1.499 / 1.538 / 1.576 / 1.616 / 7.756
($ million) / 2015-16 / 2016-17 / 2017-18 / 2018-19 / 2019-20 / Total
AustraliaCapital Territory / 5.787 / 5.813 / 5.914 / 6.019 / 6.119 / 29.653
Legalaidcommissions / 4.665 / 4.741 / 4.811 / 4.881 / 4.946 / 24.044
Community legal centres / 0.170 / 0.107 / 0.690 / 0.700 / 0.709 / 2.376
Community legal centres
(Schedule C) / 0.870 / 0.870 / - / - / - / 1.740
Community legal centres - defined funding / 0.296 / 0.298 / 0.301 / 0.896
SACS / 0.082 / 0.095 / 0.117 / 0.140 / 0.163 / 0.597
Community legalcentres total / 1.122 / 1.072 / 1.103 / 1.138 / 1.173 / 5.609
Northern Territory / 7.090 / 7.204 / 7.338 / 7.482 / 7.619 / 36.733
Legalaidcommissions / 5.548 / 5.653 / 5.747 / 5.843 / 5.931 / 28.722
Community legal centres / 0.386 / 0.374 / 0.983 / 0.999 / 1.015 / 3.757
Community legal centres
(Schedule C) / 1.059 / 1.059 / - / - / - / 2.118
Community legal centres - defined funding / 0.467 / 0.472 / 0.477 / 1.416
SACS / 0.097 / 0.118 / 0.141 / 0.168 / 0.196 / 0.720
Community legalcentres total / 1.542 / 1.551 / 1.591 / 1.639 / 1.688 / 8.011
Total Commonwealth Contribution / 250.942 / 257.144 / 261.514 / 265.880 / 270.012 / 1305.492

2Figures maynotaddduetorounding.

Use of Commonwealthfunds

30.Commonwealth legalaidcommissionfunding willbe usedforCommonwealth lawmatters only, except:

(a)where State lawmatters relating to the safetyorwelfare ofachildare connected with family lawproceedings;

(b)where State lawmatters relating toaperson’s safetyare connectedwith familylaw proceedings; or

(c)indiscrete assistance orcommunity legaleducation,regardless ofwhether the matter relates toCommonwealthorState laws.

31.The use of Commonwealth fundingforthe deliveryof legalassistanceservices by legalaid commissions andcommunity legalcentresunder this Agreement willbe informedby outcomes of collaborative service planningandthe Commonwealth priorities andeligibility principles in Schedule B.

Payments

32.Subject to the States meeting therequirements set out in Part 4 –Performance Monitoring and Reportingandin clauses33 to38below, the Commonwealth willmake six-monthly payments to the States for the deliveryoflegalassistance services undertakenunder this Agreement.The total estimatedfinancialcontributionforeachsix monthperiod wouldbe equal tohalfofthe Commonwealth’s estimatedfinancialcontribution toeachState in the relevantfinancialyear,and is expected tobe paidin July andJanuaryforeachfinancialyear,subject toclauses35,37and38.

33.Commonwealth payments in 2015-16forlegalassistance services will be made subjectto the States providing performance reports demonstrating that relevantmilestones have been met,in accordance with Table 1.

34.Commonwealth payments from 2016-17forlegalassistance services deliveredby legalaid commissions will be madesubjectto the Statesproviding performance reports,in accordance with Table 1:

(a)demonstrating thatthe performance benchmarkatclause 18(a)andrelevantmilestones have been met; and

(b)providing information againstthe performance indicators.

35.Forthe performance benchmark atclause 18(a),six-monthly payments between 2016-17and

2019-20will be made ona prorata basis where theState delivers at least 90%but less than 95% of representation services topeople experiencing financialdisadvantage,subjecttoallother performance requirements forthe relevantreporting periodbeing met.Forexample,where the State delivers 90%ofrepresentation services topeople experiencing financialdisadvantage,a payment of90%of legalaidcommissionfunding forthe relevantreporting periodwillbe made, subjecttoallother performance requirements forthe relevantreporting periodbeing met.Where theState delivers 95%or more of representation services topeople experiencing financial disadvantage, the fullsix-monthly paymentwill bemade,subjecttoallotherperformance requirements forthe relevant reporting periodbeing met.

36.Commonwealth payments from 2016-17forlegalassistance services deliveredby community legal centres (including payments forcommunity legalservices listedin Schedule C andCommonwealth SACSsupplementation)will be made on a six monthly basissubjecttothe Statesproviding performance reports,in accordance with Table 1:

(a)demonstrating thatthe relevantperformance benchmarks atclause 18(b) or(c) andrelevant milestones have been met; and

(b)providing information againstthe performance indicators.

37.Forthe performance benchmark atclause 18(b), six-monthly payments between 2016-17and 2017-18 willbe made in full where the State delivers 85% ofrepresentation services topeople experiencing financialdisadvantage in aggregate,subject toallother performance requirements forthe relevantreporting period being met.