Access to Justice Committee
Established in 1976, the Access to Justice Committee is the Law Council’s longest serving Advisory Committee. The main objective of the Committee is to advocate for the provision of equal access to justice for all Australians. The Committee seeks to achieve this objective by monitoring government initiatives relating to access to justice, by proactively initiating or advocating for policy initiatives that encourage access to justice, and by conducting broad advocacy on the importance of creating an accessible justice system.
The Committee supports the organisation of the biennial National Access to Justice and Pro Bono Conference. The event is jointly hosted by the Law Council of Australia and Australian Pro Bono Centre (often in conjunction with other partner organisations) to explore the various challenges and opportunities associated with enhancing access to legal services and pro bono work.
Issues
The key issues of focus for the Committee are:
- all matters relating to access to justice and pro bono legal work;
- adequate and certain funding for the legal assistance sector—Legal Aid Commissions, Community Legal Centres, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and Family Violence Prevention Legal Services;
- policies and procedures for acceptance of legal aid matters by the private legal profession; and
- access to justice for those in regional, rural and remote areas.
Members
The current members of the Committee are:
- Mark Woods (Co-Chair) – Law Institute of Victoria
- Dr David Neal SC (Co-Chair) – Victorian Bar
- Farzana Choudhury – Law Society of the Australian Capital Territory
- Kymberlei Goodacre – Law Society of New South Wales
- Sharyn Hall SC – New South Wales Bar Association
- Mathew Jones KC – Queensland Bar Association
- Gary Mack – Law Society of Western Australia
- Elizabeth Shearer – Queensland Law Society
- John White SC – Law Society of South Australia
- Tony Whitelum – Law Society Northern Territory
Contact
Nathan MacDonald
T. 02 6246 3721
E. Nathan.MacDonald@lawcouncil.au
John Farrell
T. 02 6246 3714
E. John.Farrell@lawcouncil.au
Last Updated on 12/02/2025
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