GO8496: Expensive Commonwealth Criminal Cases Fund (ECCCF)

The Australian Government is inviting organisations via a demand-driven (eligibility based) process to apply to deliver services under Outcome 1, Program 1.4 of the Attorney-General’s Department Portfolio Budget Statement (PBS).

The purpose of the ECCCF is to provide funding to support Legal Aid Commissions (LACs) with costs incurred defending clients in: serious, high cost, Commonwealth criminal matters (such as drug importation, people smuggling, terrorism, fraud and slavery) Commonwealth post-sentence order (PSO) matters, including control orders, extended supervision orders and continuing detention orders Community safety order (CSO) matters, including community safety detention orders and community safety supervision orders.

The intended outcomes of the program are to ensure: LACs have sufficient resources to provide an adequate legal defence for people who cannot afford private legal representation where they have been charged with serious Commonwealth criminal offences or are subject to an application for a PSO or CSO LACs do not need to reallocate funding away from other Commonwealth service priorities, such as family law matters, to meet the cost of expensive Commonwealth criminal law matters serious Commonwealth criminal law proceedings, including PSO and CSO matters, are prevented from being adjourned or stayed due to a lack of legal representation, and/or the defence of an indigent is cost-effective for the Commonwealth.

The program operates on an ongoing basis.

Annual Budget figures are published in the department’s PBS.

Applicants must have an Australian Business Number, be registered for GST, and hold a bank account with an Australian financial institution.

Applicants must provide the required application information and mandatory attachments, including data on eligible ECCCF matters and supporting evidence of the number and types of cases.

They must declare that grant funds will be spent in accordance with the eligible activities and expenditure requirements, and declare that they comply with or can meet relevant requirements including the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012, Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Fair Work Act 2009 and Commonwealth Child Safe Framework.