Women’s Legal Service Tasmania chief executive Susan Fahey said the organisation will be hiring an additional full-time solicitor to be based in Launceston and provide critical domestic violence support to victims.

The service is part of a pilot program with a lead unit already based in the North-West.

On Tuesday Attorney-General George Brandis announced $3.4 million in funding to six new specialist units nationally, with $175,000 over 18 months going to the expansion of the Women’s Legal Service’s North-West unit.

“These locations have been identified as areas of high need for additional domestic violence services, based on consultation, evidence of legal need, and the locations of existing services,” Senator Brandis said.

“The new services will build on the early learnings and successes of the existing units, whilst continuing to refine the integrated legal and social support model.”

Ms Fahey said if the right person is recruited in time she hopes to have a new full-time solicitor working out of Launceston by the end of the year.

“For the past almost 12 months we’ve had travelling to Launceston part-time to the current office to build that up, so people in Launceston are getting a face to the people they’re talking to anyway,” Ms Fahey said.

“We’ll be adding another solicitor to that with the Commonwealth funding so we’ll pretty much have two full-time solicitors in Launceston travelling in and around the North East.”

The service receives state funding under the Family Violence Action Plan to fund one full-time solicitor, with the federal funding doubling the service’s capability.