Annual Report 2020 - 2021
Financial overview
Financial summary
Our net financial result was a deficit of $11.3 million.
| 2019–20 ($M) | 2020–21 ($M) | Change % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating revenue | 379.0 | 393.0 | 3.9% |
| Operating expenses | 372.1 | 404.7 | 8.8% |
| Total assets | 143.9 | 137.5 | -4.4% |
| Total liabilities | 110.8 | 115.7 | 4.4% |
| Surplus (deficit) | 6.9 | (11.3) | (263.8%) |
| Net equity | 33.1 | 21.8 | (34.1%) |
*Slight changes affected our reporting of the operating revenue and total assets for 2019–20. The figures reported in this table are the updated figures.
Funding
Legal Aid NSW receives its government funding as a grant from the NSW Department of Communities and Justice. The grant comprises income from the NSW Government and the Commonwealth Government. In addition, income is received from the Public Purpose Fund and client contributions.
Total income for 2020–2021 was $393.0 million and expenditure was $404.7 million.
Key developments
Our financial result was a deficit of $11.3 million which is $5.1 million less than the budgeted deficit of $16.4 million.
We ended the year with net equity of $21.8 million. Payments of $137.8 million were made to private lawyers, who provide legal aid services to our clients in partnership with Legal Aid NSW. These payments include disbursements for other professional services.
Where our money came from ($M)
| Funding received in 2020–21 | ($M) |
|---|---|
| State appropriation including Commonwealth funding provided under the National Partnership Agreement | 321.7 |
| Public Purpose Fund grant | 4.6 |
| Other grants | 54.0 |
| Acceptance by the Crown Entity of employees’ benefits and other liabilities | 4.2 |
| Other sources | 8.5 |
| Total | 393.0 |
How we spent our money ($M)
| Funding spent in 2020–21 | ($M) |
|---|---|
| Employee-related expenses | 156.9 |
| External legal services | 137.8 |
| Grants and subsidies | 70.0 |
| Other | 40.0 |
| Total | 404.7 |
How we spent our money by program ($M)
| Funding spent in 2020–21 | ($M) |
|---|---|
| Criminal law | 193.5 |
| Family law | 93.8 |
| Civil law | 40.5 |
| Community partnerships | 76.6 |
| Total | 404.7 |