Citizens Advice Bureau of WA

What Citizens Advice Bureau of WA does

Citizens Advice Bureau of Western Australia Inc. (CABWA) is an independent not-for-profit community legal centre founded in 1963 and headquartered at Level 1, 25 Barrack Street, Perth. The organisation serves the general public of Western Australia through three principal service lines: a free Information and Referral Service accessible by phone, in-person, and online; a low-cost Legal Advice Service covering criminal law, family law, and estate matters, including preparation of Wills, Enduring Powers of Attorney, Enduring Powers of Guardianship, Probate, and Letters of Administration; and a low-cost Mediation Service delivered via a co-mediation model across family and child, community, and commercial disputes. Services are delivered through ten branches across the Perth metropolitan area and the South West regional centres of Bunbury and Busselton, supported by phone lines, a website (cabwa.com.au), regional outreach, and a community education program.

The organisation operates with a small paid staff of 14 employees and is sustained by more than 200 volunteers, including pro bono lawyers and accredited mediators. CABWA does not operate any proprietary technology platform; service delivery is built on phone, in-person branch consultations, the website, and integration with external government systems such as the eCourts Portal and the Legal Aid WA Virtual Office. Additional community service offerings include the WA No Interest Loans Scheme, free Justice of the Peace witnessing, seasonal ATO Tax Help (July to October), and assistance with Criminal Injuries Compensation applications.

CABWA's revenue is a blend of government and institutional grants and fee-for-service income. Recurring funding comes from the WA Department of Communities (primary funder of the Information and Referral Service), Lotterywest, the WA Department of Justice, and the Law Society of Western Australia Public Purposes Trust, with additional local government support from six councils. Earned revenue is generated through appointment-based fees for legal consultations and mediation sessions (for example, $200 per party for pre-mediation appointments, $250 per party per community mediation session, and $300-$350 per party for family and child property or parenting mediation). The organisation is a member of Community Legal Centres Australia and operates under a Board of Management chaired by President Rob Lilley, with Dion Dosualdo serving as Chief Executive Officer.

Name

Citizens Advice Bureau of WA

Legal name

Citizens Advice Bureau of Western Australia Inc.

Website

https://cabwa.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Citizens Advice Bureau of WA is a Perth-based not-for-profit community legal centre offering free information, low-cost legal advice, and affordable mediation across ten branches in Perth metropolitan and South West Western Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Legal Services

NAICS

Individual and Family Services (6241), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal Aid & Client Advocacy Services (BPAGAEAM)

Keywords

• Community legal services
• Legal advice
• Mediation services
• Information and referral
• Not-for-profit legal centre

Headquarters

HQ city

Perth

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Low-cost legal advice services: CAB provides low-cost legal advice on a wide range of issues and prepares various simple legal documents. Revenue is generated through affordable appointment fees for legal consultations and document preparation services.
2. Mediation services: CAB provides mediation services for family, community, and commercial disputes at low-cost rates. Revenue is generated through per-session fees for pre-mediation appointments and mediation sessions.
3. Government and institutional funding: As a not-for-profit community legal centre, CAB receives funding from government departments and local governments to support information and referral services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Citizens Advice Bureau of WA is an independent not-for-profit community legal centre providing free information and referral services, low-cost legal advice on criminal, family, and estate matters, and affordable mediation services across Western Australia. The organisation operates 10 branches across Perth metropolitan and regional WA, supported by over 200 volunteers including pro bono lawyers and accredited mediators, and is funded through government grants and local government partnerships.

Product overview

Citizens Advice Bureau of WA operates as a not-for-profit community legal centre offering a portfolio of interconnected services centred on three pillars: Information and Referral (free general information and signposting to specialists), Legal Advice (low-cost legal appointments and document preparation), and Mediation (low-cost dispute resolution across family, community, and commercial contexts). The Legal Advice service is supported by document preparation modules for Wills, Enduring Powers of Attorney, Enduring Powers of Guardianship, Letters of Administration, and Probate Assistance. The Mediation service spans Family and Child Mediation, Community Mediation, and Commercial Mediation, all using a co-mediation model. Additional services include WA No Interest Loans assistance, Justice of the Peace witnessing, seasonal Tax Help, and Criminal Injuries Compensation application support. All services are accessible through the Perth CBD head office, nine suburban and regional branches, phone, and outreach events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Information and Referral Service A free information and referral service delivered by phone, in-person, and through the website, providing the public with resources and referrals to trusted specialists across legal, community, and government services in Western Australia.
• Legal Advice Service A low-cost legal advice service on criminal law, family law, and estate matters, including preparation of simple legal documents such as Wills, Enduring Powers of Attorney, Enduring Powers of Guardianship, Letters of Administration, and Family Court documents.
• Mediation Service

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Department of Communities (WA State Government)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerPrimary funder for the Information and Referral Service provided by Citizens Advice Bureau. Government funding enables CAB to provide free information services to Western Australians.
• Community Legal Centres AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAB is a member of this national network of community legal centres, enabling knowledge sharing and advocacy on a national level.
• Australian Taxation Office Tax Help ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAB volunteers are trained to provide free tax help during July-October for individuals with income around $60,000 or less.
• WA NILS (No Interest Loan Scheme)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAB has trained volunteers who assist clients with completing WA NILS applications for small loans ($200-$1500) at 0% interest for low-income earners.
• Legal Aid Virtual OfficemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAB branches provide access to Legal Aid Virtual Office services by appointment through Legal Aid WA.
• Criminal Injuries Compensation OfficemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAB partnered with the Criminal Injuries Compensation Office to provide free administrative assistance to victims of crimes applying for compensation.
• Anglicare WAmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCAB consistently refers those in need to Anglicare for housing and homelessness support services. Anglicare provides rental affordability support and housing assistance.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tenants WA: WA specialist community legal centre focused on tenancy, housing and consumer law, providing free legal advice, advocacy and education. Directly comparable to CAB as a WA-based community legal centre with the same grant-funded, low-cost advice and referral model, though narrower in practice area.
• Legal Aid WA: Statutory legal aid commission for Western Australia providing free legal advice, representation and community legal education across the state. Directly comparable to CAB in target population (low/moderate-income Western Australians) and overlapping service lines including family, criminal and civil law, with CAB operating as a complementary community legal centre that CAB branches host via the Legal Aid Virtual Office.
• LawAccess NSW: NSW government-funded legal information, advice and referral service for residents of New South Wales. Directly comparable to CAB's free Information and Referral Service and Legal Advice Service, operating under a similar government-funded free/low-cost model but at greater scale and in a different jurisdiction.
• Aboriginal Legal Service of Western Australia: WA's specialist Aboriginal community legal service delivering free legal advice, representation and education to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Directly comparable to CAB as a community-funded legal service provider operating in WA, with overlapping mediation, family law and information/referral functions and similar government-grant funding model.

Regional players

• Northern Territory Legal Aid Commission: Statutory legal aid commission serving the Northern Territory with free legal advice, representation and community legal education. Comparable to CAB in mission and service mix but operating in a different jurisdiction and as a government statutory body rather than an independent community non-profit.
• Citizens Advice NSW: NSW-based community legal advice organisation offering free legal information, advice and referrals to residents of New South Wales. Direct operational analogue to CAB under the same Citizens Advice banner, sharing the information/referral and low-cost advice model but serving a different state jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• Victoria Legal Aid: Victoria's statutory legal aid provider, substantially larger than CAB, delivering free legal advice, grants of legal aid and community legal education. Comparable to CAB in mission and target population, but operates as a much larger, government-embedded incumbent providing direct representation that CAB cannot offer.
• Citizens Advice (UK): The original UK-wide network that inspired the creation of CABWA in 1963, providing free information, advice and advocacy across England and Wales. Broadly comparable as the institutional archetype and global brand namesake for CABWA, but operates at vastly greater scale and with statutory funding.

Others

• Community Legal Centres Australia: National peak body representing Australia's community legal centres, of which CAB is a member. Indirectly comparable as the sector coordinator and policy advocate for the community legal centre model that CAB operates under; supports knowledge sharing, funding advocacy and sector standards.
• Anglicare WA: Large WA community services organisation providing housing, financial counselling and family support services. Adjacent peer rather than direct competitor — Anglicare WA is a formal referral partner that CAB routes housing and homelessness clients to, and both operate as WA-based non-profits funded through government and community sources.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/61568946556242
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cabwa
• Instagraminstagram.com/cabwa.inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Citizens Advice Bureau of WA