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Lara Bullock
The Law Society of Tasmania has welcomed the Greens’ commitment to increasing legal assistance funding announced in their Access to Justice policy yesterday.
In 2014 the Productivity Commission recommended an increase in funding for legal aid to return to the previous funding levels before successive federal governments introduced funding cuts.
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The Greens have adopted the recommendations of the Productivity Commission in proposing an increase in funding to Legal Aid Commissions, Community Legal Centres, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services and Family Violence Legal Services.
“I commend the Greens for being the only political party to commit to a properly funded legal assistance system in Australia,” Matthew Verney, president of the Law Society of Tasmania, said.
“Over the last 10 years, federal governments of both colours have ripped hundreds of millions of dollars out of legal aid – affecting hundreds of thousands of Australians when they most need legal support.”
He continued: “The effect of those cuts on the broader economy has been recognised by the Productivity Commission, and now by the Greens.”
The Law Society of Tasmania has called on both Liberal and Labor to match the funding commitments to legal aid proposed by the Greens.
