Media Release
Law Society Northern Territory calls for immediate action to support Legal Aid NT
The Law Society Northern Territory (Society) calls upon both the Commonwealth and Northern Territory Governments to immediately address the funding and other issues currently impacting on those most basic of rights – the right to legal representation and a fair trial.
The rule of law requires that all Australians are able to access competent and independent legal representation to defend their rights. This is especially so in relation to vulnerable members of our community.
Organisations such as Legal Aid NT and NAAJA play a pivotal and essential role in our criminal justice system in ensuring that vulnerable Australians have access to such representation and must at all times be adequately resourced and funded to do this.
Society President Mr Richard Henschke said, “It is just not good enough that successive governments have allowed the situation at Legal Aid NT to become so bad that it has to even consider the reduction of its critical services as recently announced. The impact of these cuts will be felt across the whole of the criminal justice system in the Northern Territory for years to come.
The Society is not only concerned at the impact on those charged with offences in the Northern Territory but also on the wellbeing of legal practitioners working in the criminal justice system.
The Society therefore calls upon the Territory and Commonwealth governments to work with Legal Aid NT to ensure it has the necessary funding, resources and support to undertake its critical functions.The current situation requires an immediate and decisive response.
END OF RELEASE
Richard Henschke
President