Access to Justice Committee
The Access to Justice Committee is the Law Council’s longest serving Standing Committee, having been established in 1976 with a request that it give advice on legal aid issues. Since that time, the work of the Committee has expanded considerably.
Issues
The main items on the Access to Justice Committee’s agenda include:
- legal aid funding policies;
- access to justice issues for Indigenous people;
- access to justice for those in regional, rural and remote areas;
- a review of international opportunities to develop the Law Council's access to justice policies and work;
- conducting a biennial National Access to Justice and Pro Bono Conference;
- pro bono issues, including international pro bono work; and
- developing Law Council policy and responding to inquiries on all matters relating to access to justice and pro bono legal work.
Documents
Members
Membership is drawn from the Law Council’s constituent bodies with an observer from the Family Law Section. The current members of the Committee are:
- Mr Mark Woods (Chair) – Law Institute of Victoria
- Mr Simon Brown – Law Society of Tasmania
- Mr Rick Cullen – Law Society of Western Australia
- Ms Deej Eszenyi – Law Society of South Australia
- Mr Denis Farrar – Family Law Section Representative
- Mr Gary Long SC – Bar Association of Queensland
- Mr Bruce Doyle – Queensland Law Society
- Mr David Neal SC – The Victorian Bar
- Ms Pauline Wright – Law Society of New South Wales
- Mr Ben Salmon QC – ACT Bar Association
- Mr Chris Whitelaw – New South Wales Bar Association
- Mr Tony Whitelum – Law Society of the Northern Territory
Contact
For further information on the work of the Access to Justice Committee, contact:
