Privacy at Legal Aid WA

This page sets out how we handle your personal information, where you can get more information about your privacy rights, and how to contact us if you have a question or complaint.

This page also includes all current collection notices that inform you about why we are collecting your information in a specific circumstance, how it will be used or if it will be shared, and the possible consequences if you do not provide all or part of the information.

Legal Aid WA values your privacy and understands how important it is to keep your personal information safe. We collect, use and share personal information when it is needed to provide legal help and related services, and we do our best to handle it with care and respect. 

As part of our ordinary functions and services, we handle a large volume of personal information. This information is ordinarily managed in line with our own internal procedures and legislation such as the Legal Aid Commission Act 1976. From 30 June 2026, we will also be following the standards as set out in the Privacy and Responsible Information Sharing Act 2024 (PRIS) which sets minimum standards for the handling of your personal information. 

The relevant privacy sections of PRIS have not yet started, but Legal Aid WA is actively preparing for these changes so that we are ready to meet the new requirements when they commence.

For more information about your privacy rights: 

Privacy Collection Notices 

We are currently working on our Privacy Policy and will publish a copy of it in 2026. Once it is released, it should be viewed in conjunction with the Privacy Collection Notices below, which set out information about a specific collection of personal information, for example for individuals using this website. 

Our Privacy Collection Notices can be viewed below:

Advice Before Court webform
Privacy information for people registering for Advice Before Court

The information you give us in the Advice Before Court form, as well as any information obtained with your consent via a third-party, will be received by a paralegal and will usually be provided to a lawyer.

We will use this information to achieve one or more of the below:

  • check if you qualify for Advice Before Court,
  • give you legal advice or information,
  • assist you with your legal issue, and
  • apply for a grant of legal aid.

We may share this information with the below organisations, in order to achieve one or more of the listed purposes above. For example, to receive a copy of your Statement of Material Facts and Criminal Record. 

  • WA Police
  • Department of Justice
  • Public Transport Authority
  • Adult Community Corrections
  • Director of Public Prosecutions
  • Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
  • another government department
  • a local council

If you do not wish to provide the information listed below, we will not be able to assist you:

  • name
  • date of birth
  • phone number
  • charge details
  • location of court appearance

If after assessing your enquiry, we are unable to assist, we will try to refer you to an alternative service. We will ask for your consent before sharing your personal information outside of Legal Aid Western Australia, unless we are required or authorised by law.  

If any of your details change, or you wish to correct any information previously provided to us, you can contact Legal Aid’s Infoline (1300 650 579) or the Advice Before Court paralegal to do so.

Family Advocacy Support Service webform
Privacy information for people registering for Family Advocacy and Support Service  

The information you give us in the Family Advocacy and Support Service form, as well as any information obtained with your consent, will be received by a paralegal and may be provided to a lawyer.

We will use this information to:

  • check if you qualify for FASS,
  • refer you to other agencies (if appropriate),
  • help give you legal advice or information,
  • assist you with your legal issue,
  • connect you with a social support worker, and
  • assist you to apply for a grant of aid.

We may share this information with the below organisations, to get more information about your matter and assess how to help you best. We may also share information where authorised or required by law.

  • Anglicare WA
  • Department of Communities
  • Western Australia Police
  • Family Court of WA
  • another government department

If you do not wish to provide the information listed below, we will not be able to assist you:

  • name
  • date of birth
  • phone number
  • information related to you court matters

We will ask for your consent before sharing your personal information outside of Legal Aid Western Australia, unless we are required or authorised by law.

If any of your details change, or you wish to correct any information previously provided to us, you can contact Legal Aid’s Infoline (1300 650 579) or ask the Family Advocacy and Support Service paralegal to do so.

Website survey (participant data)
About the research survey

This survey aims to assess what tasks are important for people when engaging with Legal Aid WA and what they think of the website.

The findings from this user research survey will be used to help inform Legal Aid WA about how to improve the website to better meet the needs of the public, its stakeholders and staff.

Your involvement in the survey

Participating in the survey involves answering a series of questions in an online form. It usually takes around 5-10 minutes to complete.

The survey includes an optional expression of interest for future user research opportunities. You can choose to give us personal information (your name and email address) so we can contact you to ask if you would like to participate in future user research for Legal Aid WA.

How we will use the survey data

Findings from the survey will be used to develop a research report which will be shared within Legal Aid WA. We may share portions of this report publicly.  

Any survey answers you give may be quoted in the research report, but those quotes will only identify the group to which you belong (for example, ‘client’ or ‘Private Practitioner’), not you personally.

Any Personal Information that you share while participating in the survey is treated as private and confidential and will only be accessed by employees or contractors of Legal Aid WA. If you provide your contact information, this will only be used to invite you to participate in further user research or testing. 

If you wish to correct or remove your details after providing them, please contact Legal Aid WA at: privacy@legalaid.wa.gov.au

Website (general)
Privacy information for people using this website (legalaid.wa.gov.au)

When you visit our website or use forms or applications enabled through our website, we make a record of your visit and may log the following information for authentication, authorisation or statistical purposes:

Information collected
  • your server address and location
  • your top-level domain name (e.g. .com, .gov, .au, .org)
  • your username
  • date and time of your visit
  • type of browser and technology you use
  • pages you access
  • documents or files you download
  • information provided through a specific application or form, including personal details and contact information.

This information will only be made available to Legal Aid WA. No attempt is or will be made to identify an individual user’s details (except where you provide it through a form, or a law requires us to disclose any information).

Purpose

Information you give us through an online form or application will only be used for the purpose for which you have provided it.

Our websites and applications may use cookies to facilitate authentication and authorisation processes, collect statistical information and improve your experience. We also use software provided by third party vendors, including Google Analytics, to gather anonymised information about how visitors use our websites and services. This information about your use is only analysed on a bulk basis for broad demographic content. Individual use is not analysed.

Security

We use industry standard Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption, to ensure the highest security for information you send us through online forms or applications. This site contains links to other website, and Legal Aid WA has no responsibility for the privacy, security practices or content of such websites.

Although we try our best to protect your information, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of information you send us through the internet.

If you wish to request access or correct your personal information

Visit our Freedom of Information page for more information.

If you have a question or want to make a complaint about privacy

For more information about how your personal information is handled, or to make a complaint, please contact Legal Aid’s Privacy Officer:

Privacy Officer
Legal Aid WA
PO Box L916
PERTH WA 6842

Reviewed: 18 December 2025

Related Pages

Disclaimer

The information displayed on this page is provided for information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. If you have a legal problem, you should see a lawyer. Legal Aid Western Australia aims to provide information that is accurate, however does not accept responsibility for any errors or omissions in the information provided on this page or incorporated into it by reference.