Speaking at the National Press Club today to launch the Justice Project Progress Report, Law Council immediate past President Fiona McLeod SC said:
“The Justice Project is one of the most significant pieces of the work The Law Council has ever undertaken, a landmark project to review the state of access to justice in Australia, particularly for disadvantaged people, and gather the evidence to make the case for reform.
This is a project that transcends party politics - it is about supporting our most vulnerable and lifting them out of disadvantage. Our visits leave a nagging certainty that we are pushing difficult social problems to the legal fringes, towards good hearted individuals in the legal assistance sector who are struggling to provide the service they want and their clients need - and who are destined for burn-out and despair. It’s absolutely clear that a systemic lack of access to justice contributes enormously to cycles of intergenerational trauma and disadvantage within communities. Let us learn from the findings of the Justice Project concerning what is working and what is not”
The Final Report of this ambitious project will be available mid 2018
National Press Club Speeches available here
Watch on i’view available here
Progress Report is available here