The New South Wales government has announced the establishment of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Legal Service, operating through Legal Aid NSW, to provide free legal support and guidance for victim-survivors using the state's criminal justice system.
Free Legal Aid Service Launch
The $1.74m expansion forms part of a broader $6.2m strengthening sexual violence justice responses package that the state government unveiled last month, bolstered by federal funding. The pilot program aims to assist individuals with matters ranging from the criminal process and survivors’ rights during police investigations and prosecutions to accessing victims’ compensation.
Breaking Down Barriers to Justice
Sarah Rosenberg, executive director of the victim-led network With You We Can, noted that victim-survivors are frequently left to manage a complex and isolating legal framework on their own.
“They’d essentially have to become legal experts overnight just to figure out what is going on in a case that supposedly revolves around them,” she said, adding that an adversarial system can often compound trauma by relegating survivors to mere witnesses.
Broad Access and Simple Criteria
Robyn Gilbert, a senior solicitor at Legal Aid NSW who will lead the new service, stated that the initiative is designed to restore autonomy and choice. According to Gilbert, the service will be accessible to all callers across New South Wales, noting that “really, the only eligibility criteria is to have experienced a sexual assault.”
Government Acknowledgment of Trauma
Jodie Harrison, the NSW minister for the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault, acknowledged that the legal process can be overwhelming, while federal assistant minister for the prevention of family violence Ged Kearney highlighted that seeking legal advice post-assault can exacerbate an already traumatic period.
Lived Experience Exposes Systemic Gaps
For 28-year-old Shannon Stokes from New South Wales, who spent two years and 11 days prosecuting her former boyfriend for domestic violence and sexual assault offences, the announcement addresses a critical gap she experienced firsthand.
Stokes recalled receiving pamphlets in the lead-up to the trial and a few pieces of paper on the day of her trial, describing an alien environment that made her feel “like a number in the system.” Although prosecutors secured nine convictions out of 11 charges resulting in a five-year prison sentence, Stokes said the prolonged legal battle and procedural hurdles ultimately left her more mentally traumatised than the assault itself.
