President Jane Needham SC welcomes announcement by Attorney-General Brandis

26/03/2015

Statement by Bar Association President Jane Needham SC

The New South Wales Bar Association welcomes today's announcement by Attorney-General Brandis, reversing foreshadowed cuts to legal assistance funding. The Bar Association, along with the Law Council of Australia, has previously urged the federal government to come up with a long term solution to the national legal aid crisis, and recently did so specifically in relation to Indigenous legal services. Today's restoration of funding will bring certainty and stability to funding levels for the next two years. We congratulate the federal attorney-general on this initiative, which will benefit the most disadvantaged and vulnerable members of our community. The Bar Association is particularly pleased to note that the funding package will substantially preserve the position of Indigenous legal services, as well as Legal Aid commissions and Community Legal centres, throughout the nation.