Victoria Legal Aid Handbook for Lawyers

Giving false information or omitting relevant information in the application

Under the Legal Aid Act 1978External Link , it is an offence for any person in, or in connection with, an application for a grant of legal assistance to do any of the following:

  • knowingly make a false statement
  • knowingly give false information
  • knowingly fail to disclose relevant information.

Possible consequences

If Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) believes any person has committed this offence, then VLA may take legal action against the person:

  • within three years after the time the person allegedly committed the offence
  • at any later time with the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Reviewed 21 February 2022

In this section