Funding
Legal Aid NSW receives its government funding as a grant from the NSW Department of Justice. The grant comprises income from the NSW Government and the Commonwealth. In addition, income is received from the Public Purpose Fund, interest and client contributions.
Total income for 2018–19 was $349.3 million and expenditure was $374.5 million.
Where our money came from ($M)
| Funding received in 2018–19 | ($M) |
|---|---|
| State appropriation including Commonwealth funding provided under the National Partnership Agreement | 257.7 |
| Public Purpose Fund grant | 35.4 |
| Other grants | 35.3 |
| Acceptance by the Crown Entity of employees’ benefits and other liabilities | 11.8 |
| Interest and other sources | 9.1 |
| Total | 349.3 |
How we spent our money ($M)
| Employee-related expenses | 145.6 |
| External legal services | 118.7 |
| Grants and subsidies | 75.8 |
| Other | 34.4 |
| Total | 374.5 |
How we spent our money by program ($M)
| Criminal law | 184.3 |
| Family law | 83.2 |
| Civil law | 49.0 |
| Community partnerships | 58.0 |
| Total | 374.5 |
Key developments
Our financial result was a deficit of $25.6 million which is $2.6 million less than the budgeted deficit of $28.2 million.
We ended the year with net equity of $26.2 million. Payments of $118.7 million were made to private lawyers, who provide legal aid services to our clients in partnership with Legal Aid NSW. These payments include disbursements for other professional services.