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National legal assistance data

Under the National Access to Justice Partnership 2025-30 (NAJP), the following subsectors must collect and report legal assistance data:

  • legal aid commissions
  • community legal centres
  • women’s legal services
  • Family Violence Prevention and Legal Services (FVPLS)
  • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services.

Under Schedule E of the NAJP, transitional arrangements apply to FVPLS for the first 2 years of the NAJP (until 30 June 2027), allowing flexibility where an FVPLS provider cannot collect or report specific information including Schedule D data.

This data provides a greater understanding of the delivery of legal assistance services and supports frontline service delivery.

National Legal Assistance Data Strategy 2026-2030

The National Legal Assistance Data Strategy 2026-2030 (the Data Strategy) is the first policy initiative to be delivered under the NAJP in support of the shared long-term reform objectives. The Data Strategy was developed by the sector and governments through the Data and Outcomes Project Team and endorsed by the Standing Council of Attorneys-General on 31 July 2026.

The vision of the Data Strategy is for a robust national evidence base that informs the design and delivery of legal assistance services, providing stronger justice outcomes for people and communities and demonstrating the impact these services have on broader community wellbeing.

The Data Strategy sets out agreed foundational actions for governments and the sector to work together to improve data quality and consistency and prepare for future data needs, including supporting the other NAJP long-term reform policy initiatives: the Outcomes-Based Framework, Closing the Gap Schedule and National Legal Assistance Workforce Strategy.

Find out more about the Data Strategy

National Legal Assistance Data Standards Manual

Data collected by the legal assistance sector is reported to governments in accordance with the National Legal Assistance Data Standards Manual.

This version of the manual (version 3) came into effect on 1 July 2021.

As part of the Data Strategy being developed under the NAJP, the Data Standards Manual will be reviewed and updated to maximise the quality and consistency of reported data.

Read historical versions of the Data Standards Manual

National legal assistance service data

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has established a national evidence base of legal assistance services data and publishes an annual statistical publication. This is based on unit level data the ABS collected on legal assistance service under the National Legal Assistance Partnership 2020-2025 and the NAJP.

This collection of legal assistance service data enables meaningful analysis and insights that informs, and facilitates a greater understanding of, legal assistance services.

Visit the ABS website to access legal assistance services data