The New South Wales government has established the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Legal Service, which will operate through Legal Aid NSW. The service aims to provide free legal support to individuals who have experienced sexual assault as they navigate the legal system.
This $1.74m expansion will offer advice on the criminal process, survivors' rights during police investigations and prosecutions, and assistance with accessing victims' compensation. Robyn Gilbert, a senior solicitor at Legal Aid NSW who will lead the service, stated that its purpose is to restore autonomy and choice to survivors, enabling them to be better informed about their rights and role within the system. The service will be accessible to all callers across the state, with the only eligibility criterion being the experience of sexual assault.
The pilot program is part of the state government's $6.2m strengthening sexual violence justice responses package, announced last month and supported by federal funding. Jodie Harrison, the NSW minister for the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault, noted that navigating the legal system can be overwhelming for many victim-survivors.
Shannon Stokes, 28, from New South Wales, shared her experience of a two-year and 11-day process to prosecute her former boyfriend for sexual assault and domestic violence offences. She described feeling a “sense of doom” and isolated due to a lack of appropriate legal assistance, stating that the trial traumatised her more than the assault itself. Experts, including Sarah Rosenberg from With You We Can, say Stokes' experience is common among sexual assault victim-survivors.