Portfolio — 15 May 2026

Attorney-General Michelle Rowland launched the Justice Navigator pilot program in Victoria on 15 May, backed by $21.4 million in federal funding, as the centrepiece of the government's national rollout of trauma-informed legal services for sexual-violence survivors [TA-260515-attorn-cd73177b72b1]. The program embeds dedicated legal support navigators through partnerships with the Victims Legal Service and Sexual Assault Services Victoria, with a specific focus on strengthening referral pathways and opening restorative-justice options for victims who may not pursue criminal proceedings [TA-260515-attorn-cd73177b72b1].

Rowland framed the launch in terms of the government's dual commitment to improving survivor access to justice and ensuring perpetrators are held to account — language that signals the initiative is positioned within the broader gender-based violence policy frame rather than as a standalone legal-aid measure. The Victorian pilot follows the portfolio's established pattern of deploying state-level partnerships as the delivery mechanism for national reform objectives, consistent with the architecture of the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 and the Standing Council of Attorneys-General work programme on criminal justice responses to sexual assault.

No parliamentary segment is present for this date, so the record is drawn from the ministerial media release alone. The prior-day continuity note references the Attorney-General's engagement on child-safety campaigning and justice-reform opposition, suggesting a sustained portfolio focus on survivor-centred justice reform across consecutive days.