Pro Bono Response to Natural Disasters

Published on 9 October 2023 The Centre’s report, Pro Bono Response to Natural Disasters, synthesises insights from 34 organisations across Australia, including legal aid commissions, community legal centres, referral schemes and law firms into 27 key national recommendations on pro bono best practice in this context.

The report briefly describes the disaster response landscape in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania, from where contributions to this research were made. It extracts key learnings and recommendations for pro bono practitioners to consider when offering their support during live disasters in each jurisdiction, and how they might better support disaster resilience and preparedness outside of live disasters.

The report also collates key recommendations from across the country to form a blueprint for pro bono practitioners for the future.

“Congratulations to the [Australian] Pro Bono Centre on the release of this report! It is an exciting step for the sector as a whole to be considering best practice models for disaster – related legal assistance, and given the likely state of summer and the years ahead, is timely and important. The report is detailed and interesting and I hope serves as a valuable tool for those engaged in supporting communities impacted by extreme weather events.”Melanie Kallmier, Legal Services Manager and Solicitor at the Mid North Coast Legal Centre