National Anti-Corruption Commission General Scheme

The National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) General Scheme funds the reasonable costs of legal representation for individuals who are:

To apply for this scheme as a current or former parliamentarian, you need to have exhausted all options for assistance under the NACC Parliamentary Scheme.

You need to have exhausted all options for assistance under Appendix E to the Legal Services Directions 2017 before applying if you are a current or former:

  • minister’s staff member under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984
  • employee of an Australian Government non-corporate Commonwealth entity.

Current or former Australian Government employees should contact their employing agency for help with Appendix E to the Legal Services Directions.

Who is eligible

In accordance with the National Anti-Corruption Commission Regulations 2023, we may provide legal financial assistance to:

  • a person who is summoned to attend a hearing of the NACC
  • a person who is not giving evidence at a hearing and is being represented at the hearing by a legal practitioner with the consent of the Commissioner
  • a person who has applied, or proposes to apply, to the Federal Court or the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) under the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 for an order in respect of a matter arising under the Act.

How to apply

Download and complete the Application form for Legal Financial Assistance.

Scan and email your completed application with supporting documents to finass@ag.gov.au.

If you cannot send your application by email, call Legal Financial Assistance Casework on 02 6141 4770 or 1800 117 995 between 8:30 am and 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday.

If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service and give 02 6141 4770 as the number you would like to call.

How we assess your application

We assess applications according to both:

The decision maker may approve legal financial assistance if they are satisfied that either:

  • refusing the application would result in serious financial difficulty for the person
  • the circumstances of the case are of such a special nature that the application should be granted.

Which costs are covered

We will pay for reasonable costs of legal representation and disbursement that you incur when you:

  • attend a hearing of the NACC
  • apply for administrative review in respect of a matter arising under the Act.

These could include:

  • your solicitor's costs, such as attending hearings or preparing documents
  • disbursements such as solicitor's travel or photocopying.

For details of what we can pay for and how much we can pay, visit Commonwealth legal financial assistance - Assessment of costs.

Assessment timeframes

If your application is complete, we will assess it within 28 days. If it is incomplete, we will notify you and ask for the missing information.

Payments process

We will only pay after:

  • we have approved your application
  • the work has been performed
  • you have lodged a claim with us.

The Commonwealth legal financial assistance - Assessment of costs sets the maximum amount that we can pay.

Find out more

Contact Legal Financial Assistance Casework:

If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service and give 02 6141 4770 as the number you would like to call.

Information about the scheme is also available on the National Anti-Corruption Commission website.

Related links

Commonwealth Guidelines for Legal Financial Assistance 2012
Addendum to the Commonwealth Guidelines for Legal Financial Assistance 2012: Ad…