Defence and Veteran Legal Services Newsletter—Issue 22 July 2024

We are sad to advise our service is closing

We are writing to provide an important update about the Defence and Veterans Legal Service (DAVLS).

We are sad to advise this service will close at the end of September because it has not received ongoing funding from the Commonwealth.

In this newsletter we:

  • pass on our heartfelt thanks to the many people who have supported DAVLS
  • provide information about changes to some of our services in the weeks ahead.

All our staff across Australia thank our clients and stakeholders for the opportunity to work with them, for their trust in us, and for enhancing our understanding of issues that affect veterans.

We will keep you updated as we approach the end of DAVLS on 30 September.

With kind regards,

The staff of the Defence and Veterans Legal Service

Lived experience book draws heavily on submissions

In the lead-up to the closure, our top priority is to help existing clients resolve their legal issues and connect with other services where appropriate.

We will need to make some changes to how we deliver services in the coming months so that we can manage the end of the service in the best way possible for our clients.

From Monday 22 July

  • We can no longer assist new clients with entitlements issues in an ongoing way. Instead, we will provide information to them about entitlements processes and connect them with other support where possible.
  • We will continue to work with our existing clients on their entitlements matters.
  • We will continue to provide advice about the Royal Commission and most other legal issues as usual.

From Monday 2 September

  • Unfortunately, from 2 September we cannot take on new clients.
  • We will continue to work with our existing clients on their existing matters to resolve their legal issue before the end of September or to connect them with alternative support where possible.

Please see the information below about Royal Commission enquiries.

Enquiries about the Royal Commission

We anticipate the Royal Commission report will be released publicly in mid-September.

Until 30 September we can provide advice to clients who contact us with questions about the report and/or their submissions to the inquiry.

The Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide received submissions from almost 6,000 people and we supported more than a quarter of those individuals (over 1,500 people).

Double-dipping rules: we can help you understand offsetting

We know the closure of DAVLS, and the release of the Royal Commission report, might be distressing for some people.

Find out more about support services that are available.

The impact of free legal support for veterans

It has been a privilege to support people who have served in the ADF and their families.

The impact of that legal support for veterans was highlighted recently in an article in The Australian newspaper.

In total over the past three years, we have provided more than 6,500 free legal support services. Our telephone information line alone has handled more than 4,000 enquiries.

Thank you

Providing legal support has been a team effort and we are grateful for the assistance we have received from so many individuals and organisations across Australia. Your assistance made an enormous difference to the lives of many people