Legal services expenditure
Find details of our legal services expenditure for previous financial years.
Why we publish our expenditure
Under paragraph 109(1)(d) of the Legal Services Directions 2025(Opens in a new tab/window), all non‑corporate Commonwealth entities must make records of legal services expenditure for the previous financial year publicly available.
Our 2025–26 legal services expenditure report
Total (external + internal) expenditure
| Item | Value (all dollar amounts are GST exclusive, rounded to nearest dollar) |
|---|---|
| Total internal legal services expenditure | $10,889,765 |
| Total external legal services expenditure | $7,158,268 |
| Total (external + internal) expenditure | $18,048,033 |
External legal services expenditure
Item | Value (all dollar amounts are GST exclusive, rounded to nearest dollar) |
|---|---|
| Total value of briefs to counsel | $112,170 |
| Total value of disbursements (excluding counsel) | $357,211 |
| Total value of professional fees paid | $6,688,887 |
| Total external legal services expenditure | $7,158,268 |
Counsel
Item | Value (all dollar amounts are GST exclusive, rounded to nearest dollar) |
|---|---|
| Number of direct briefs to male counsel | 1 |
| Number of direct briefs to female counsel | 1 |
| Number of direct briefs to gender x | 0 |
| Total number of direct briefs to counsel | 2 |
| Number of indirect briefs to male counsel | 4 |
| Number of indirect briefs to female counsel | 5 |
| Number of indirect briefs to gender x | 0 |
| Total number of indirect briefs to counsel | 9 |
| Total value of direct briefs to male counsel | $424 |
| Total value of direct briefs to female counsel | $4,472 |
| Total value of indirect briefs to gender x | $0 |
| Total value of direct briefs to counsel | $4,896 |
| Total value of indirect briefs to male counsel | $47,549 |
| Total value of indirect briefs to female counsel | $59,725 |
| Total value of indirect briefs to gender x | $0 |
| Total value of indirect briefs to counsel | $107,274 |
This expenditure includes the provision of legal services provided to the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission (DFSVC) and the National Commission for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People (NCATSICYP).
Previous reports
Our previous legal expenditure reports are available on the National Library's Australian Government Web Archive(Opens in a new tab/window).
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