Southern Aboriginal Corporation (SAC) and Aboriginal Family Legal Services (AFLS) were chosen from among three bids to provide the service under a tender process run by the Department of Justice.
The two Aboriginal community-controlled organisations currently provide family violence prevention legal services in regional areas.
Funded by the State Government, the partnership’s metropolitan service will begin operating in July 2022 under a three-year contract following a transition from the existing service provider.
The tender was restricted to partnerships led by Aboriginal community-controlled organisations, in line with principles of self-determination and the Government’s Aboriginal procurement policies.
In 2020-2021, more than 200 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Perth metropolitan region accessed legal and related services for family violence victims by the current provider.
“This is a vital service responding to family and domestic violence that must meet the complex needs of vulnerable people, while working with related service providers,” Department of Justice Director General Dr Adam Tomison said.
The SAC and AFLS partnership will provide culturally-sensitive legal and related services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who are experiencing or recovering from family violence or sexual assault.
Those services will include advice, representation and/or support concerning matters such as family law, child protection, housing and tenancy, credit and debt, and restraining orders.
SAC’s Family Violence Prevention Service currently delivers service in the Great Southern, South West and southern Wheatbelt from Albany, Bunbury and Narrogin, while AFLS operates in the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne and the Goldfields-Esperance.
“They’ll be able to provide a seamless transition in services for people moving in or out of Perth,” Dr Tomison said.
