New research explores what works to meet people’s legal needs

Measure for Measure: A People‑Centred Approach to Tailoring Justice, provides an important snapshot and analysis of what works to move the needle in accessing and providing justice.

By
21 April 2026

We know that Victorian justice organisations are delivering innovative, tailored approaches to meeting everyday legal need. Our major new research report: Measure for Measure: A People‑Centred Approach to Tailoring Justice brings these together to explore the elements which help these projects succeed.

The research considers what is required to realise the full potential of people‑centred justice at scale, drawing on the knowledge and experience of justice practitioners across Victoria to explore what works to meet legal need—and what more is needed.

An exploratory model, developed through the research, brings these practices together. The model highlights the commonalities and provides a practical foundation for design and evaluation as well as further inquiry.

A people-centred approach to tailoring justice

The report surfaces common elements seen to underpin success across 66 initiatives from 31 organisations, spanning diverse service models, legal issues, and populations. These insights are brought together in the exploratory People-Centred Justice Model that can inform how the justice sector designs, measures and understands its work.

The report also explores the barriers to measuring, sustaining, and scaling success, and outlines the need for a justice ecosystem lens to build on what works.

What we do next

Measure for Measure highlights the promise and the challenge of people-centred justice. Individual initiatives may be effective, but there is limited visibility of how they interact, align, or where gaps persist.

The findings make clear that realising the full potential of people centred justice at scale requires an ecosystem perspective—moving beyond isolated initiatives toward an understanding of interrelation and impact, which, when applied, would have significant potential to improve access to justice for Victorians.

Explore the research

Access the full report, detailed findings, implications and supporting publications.

Publications

Measure for Measure: A People-Centred Approach to Tailoring Justice
April 2026

Measure for Measure is foundational research that aimed to map and understand a range of justice initiatives from across Victoria. It is an effort to identify the common elements of success in responding to legal need and capability, and to discuss what that means for practice, evaluation, and better outcomes at a range of levels.

Report
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New research explores what works to meet people’s legal needs

Measure for Measure: A People‑Centred Approach to Tailoring Justice, provides an important snapshot and analysis of what works to move the needle in accessing and providing justice.