26 September 2023

Black letter plan for Legal Aid NSW

Start the conversation

Legal Aid NSW has announced a new four-year strategy to increase access to justice for Aboriginal people.

The Aboriginal Client Services Strategy 2019–2023 has been developed to guide Legal Aid NSW in its provision of services to Aboriginal people and communities.

Legal Aid said the strategy was designed to help ensure high-quality services are delivered to Aboriginal clients as well as to effect systemic change to benefit Aboriginal people and communities.

“We also plan to review our eligibility policies with a view to improving access to legal aid for Aboriginal people,” the Agency said.

“In 2017–18, 14.2 per cent of our case grants and in-house duty services were delivered to Aboriginal clients,” Legal Aid said.

It said its partnerships, particularly those with private practitioners and the Aboriginal Legal Service were at the centre of the new initiatives.

It said it would ensure its service provision was culturally competent by offering training to its own lawyers and those on Legal Aid NSW panels as well as to staff of the Women’s Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Program.

Legal Aid said it was developing service standards for each major practice area, and forging connections between its offices around NSW and local Aboriginal communities.

“Earlier in 2019 we launched the Aboriginal Employment and Career Development Strategy, which aims to support our employment and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff,” it said.

“Under this strategy we aim to increase our employment target to 11 per cent to ensure that our workforce better reflects our Aboriginal client base.”

The one-page Client Services Strategy can be accessed at the Legal Aid NSW website at this PS News link.

Start the conversation

Be among the first to get all the Public Sector and Defence news and views that matter.

Subscribe now and receive the latest news, delivered free to your inbox.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.