Current Grant Opportunity View - GO4344

The National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention (National Commissioner) has been established to inquire into suicides of serving and former Australian Defence Force members.

The Australian Government is funding legal financial assistance to individuals and entities to assist with meeting the costs of legal representation and disbursements associated with engaging with the National Commissioner.

Legal financial assistance may be provided to an entity for their reasonable legal representation and disbursement costs resulting from:

• being called, or granted leave to appear, as a witness at a public or private hearing of the National Commissioner, or
• being requested to attend or attending an interview of the National Commissioner, or
• being requested to provide a written statement that will be used as evidence of the National Commissioner, and/or
• complying with a notice to produce issued by the National Commissioner, and
• where the entity, excluding an individual, would not able to meet these costs without incurring serious financial hardship.

Legal financial assistance may also be provided to an entity for their reasonable legal representation and disbursement costs resulting from:

• being requested to attend or attending an individual or group interview with the National Commissioner, during the course of the Independent Review of Past Australian Defence Force and Veteran Suicides, and/or
• being formally requested by the National Commissioner to provide a written statement during the course of the Independent Review of Past Australian Defence Force and Veteran Suicides, and
• where the entity, excluding an individual, would not able to meet these costs without incurring serious financial hardship.

If your organisation has been called by the National Commissioner, the organisation will be subject to an assessment of whether it can meet the cost of its legal representation without incurring serious financial difficulty. If you have been called in your personal capacity, you will be exempt from an assessment of financial circumstances.

Completed applications will be assessed within 21 days. Incomplete applications will not be assessed. You will be notified if your application is incomplete, and requested to provide missing information.

If you receive less than 21 days' notice of appearing or attending an interview of the National Commissioner, the department will try to assess your application before the date of your appearance.

How are payments made

If a grant is approved, the department will only pay after the work has been performed, and a claim has been made to the department. The Assessment of Costs sets the maximum amount that the department can pay under grants.

$2,188,000.00

All documents are in GO Documents.

Complete and email the application form, with required attachments, to finass@ag.gov.au.

If you cannot email your application, telephone Legal Financial Assistance Casework on 02 6141 4770 or 1800 117 995 between 8.30am – 5.00pm, Monday to Friday.

If you are deaf, or have a hearing or speech impairment contact us through the National Relay Service giving 02 6141 4770 as the number to call.

Organisation applications

The organisation must provide full details of its financial circumstances, including annual income from all sources, total value of assets and total balance of savings/shares. Supporting documentation: the last six months of bank statements, latest tax assessments, and/or annual financial statements should be attached.

All information provided to the department is treated in confidence.

The department will pay reasonable legal representation and disbursement costs incurred as a witness for the National Commissioner. These include solicitor's costs (attendance or document preparation) and disbursements (solicitor's travel, photocopying).

Information about rates payable is set out in the Assessment of Costs.

Legal framework

The Commonwealth Guidelines for Legal Financial Assistance 2012 establish the Royal Commission and Inquiries scheme. The operation of the Guidelines is modified by the Commonwealth Guidelines for Legal Financial Assistance 2012: Addendum for the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention.