Commonwealth civil law matters

Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) may make a grant of assistance to a person for a civil proceeding under Commonwealth law if:

• the matter is a Commonwealth civil law matter within the Commonwealth legal aid priorities set out in the National Commonwealth Legal Aid Guidelines
• the legal proceedings are to take place in Victoria (the forum test)
• usually, VLA considers the person cannot afford the full cost of private legal services (the means test)
  and
• the matter and the person meet the Commonwealth merits test.

However, VLA may make a grant of assistance to a war veteran or a dependant of a war veteran for certain proceedings under the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (Cth) and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (Cth) without applying the means test.

Commonwealth civil law guidelines

The Commonwealth civil law guidelines set out the conditions under which a grant of legal assistance may be made in relation to the following Commonwealth civil law matters being heard or determined in Victoria:

• Commonwealth workers’ compensation matters, social security matters and disputes, and cases involving other Commonwealth pensions, benefits or allowances
• war veterans' matters
• action for damages under Commonwealth law
• migration
• discrimination or equal opportunity matters and consumer protection matters
• extradition proceedings
• proceeds of crime.