Attorney-General
Minister for Emergency Management
Special Minister of State
Minister for the Public Service and Integrity
The Hon Mark Dreyfus QC MP
Assistant Treasurer
The Hon David Bradbury MP
Joint Media Release
Faster, Simpler, Fairer Justice - Productivity Commission Review
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus QC and Assistant Treasurer David Bradbury today announced the Productivity Commission will examine how to improve access to justice in Australia.
"The cost of accessing justice services and securing legal representation prevents many Australians from gaining effective access to the justice system," Mr Dreyfus said.
"An effective justice system should provide timely and affordable justice for all Australians. It should not be dependent on capacity to pay and vulnerable Australians should not be disadvantaged."
The Government has asked the Commission to examine the factors contributing to the current costs of securing legal representation and accessing justice services, the social and economic impacts of these costs, and whether they are proportionate to the issues in dispute.
The Commission will report on options for achieving lower-cost dispute resolution, including through alternative dispute resolution, the use of technology and expedited procedures.
It will provide advice on data collection across the justice system to enable better monitoring of costs and evaluation of measures aimed at keeping costs down.
Importantly, the Commission will also report on the number of Australians who may not be able to afford to secure legal representation but who also do not qualify for legal assistance.
"The Productivity Commission inquiry will allow us to examine the real costs to Australians of accessing justice services, and provide options that will allow Australians to resolve their disputes more quickly and affordably," Mr Bradbury said.
"The inquiry will make recommendations on the best way to improve access to the justice system and equity of representation including, but not limited to, the funding of legal assistance services."
The terms of reference for the review are attached. More information is available at www.pc.gov.au
The Gillard Government committed an additional $118 million in the 2013-14 Budget to improve access to justice for Australians.
THURSDAY, 20 JUNE 2013
