One way we’re making it easier for people with complex needs to access our services is through our Legal Advocates Channel.

Some customers choose to work with a legal advocate when dealing with us. This can be because their situation is complicated and they need some extra support.

Legal advocates told us they needed a better way to engage with us on behalf of their clients. Following a pilot to test the approach, we created the Legal Advocates Channel. The channel is also one example of our ongoing response to the recommendations from the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme.

Using the channel, legal advocates can contact a highly trained Services Australia staff member directly via a secure mailbox. This makes it faster and easier to resolve issues on behalf of our customers with some of the most challenging cases.

Before the channel was available, legal advocates had to call our main customer lines on behalf of their clients. When they got through, the issue was often too complex for a single call and needed additional steps to be resolved.

Now, legal advocates and our staff collaborate directly to resolve issues, often in a matter of days. The channel makes it easier for each case to be managed with a single point of contact. It’s a simpler, more personalised service.

From November 2023 to June 2025:

• The Legal Advocates Channel has resolved nearly 3,000 inquiries for customers in crisis or with complex cases.
• We’ve onboarded 18 community legal services to the channel so they can connect with us directly on behalf of their clients.
• We’ve registered 119 users who can now directly connect with knowledgeable staff to resolve complex issues more quickly.

Legal advocates have provided overwhelmingly positive feedback about the channel.

Kate Allingham, CEO of Economic Justic Australia says the Advocates Channel has been a game-changer for them and their clients.

‘A lot of people know that they have an issue with social security, but they’re not able to clearly articulate what that is. So sometimes even just trying to get an understanding of what the client’s issue was really difficult,’ she said. ‘This has really made that process much easier.’

The creation of the Legal Advocates Channel is an important step towards better engagement between Services Australia and advocacy groups.

Watch Kate and lawyer and advocate, Nali, talk about their experiences using the Legal Advocates Channel to learn more about how we’re making things simpler.