Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre acting executive officer Chris Sedgman outlined the impact of the proposed funding change during a visit from shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to Bendigo on Thursday.

The federal government plans to reduce funding to community legal centres in Victoria from $9 million to $6 million in 2017 as part of a five-year agreement.

Ms Sedgman said the reduction was in contrast to the federal government’s public stance on domestic violence.

“On the one hand, Mr Abbott is saying you don’t hit women and that he supports the fact we should be having this conversation to do something about it,” he said.

“On the other hand, he’s cutting back community legal centres – the very centres themselves that provide the services to those people who are at the end of that domestic violence.

“A majority of our clients rely on this funding, domestic violence is one of the major areas that we work in.”

Ms Sedgman said there would be “a lot of people we wouldn’t be able to see”.

Attorney-generals from six states and territories wrote to their federal counterpart George Brandis in May outlining their concerns over the changes.

During his visit to Bendigo on Thursday, shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the federal government had reversed its cuts to legal services in last year’s budget, but the reversal only lasted for two more years.

“Thanks to community pressure, some of those cuts – particularly those in relation to community legal centres – have been reversed,” he said.

“The problem is the reversal is only for two years, it will fall off the cliff in two years time.”

In a statement in March, Mr Brandis said restoring the funding for two years would give the sector certainty.

“Since the 2013 election, the government has carefully examined legal assistance funding to ensure that funding is directed to front line services where the need is greatest,” he said.