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LCA rolls out support to rural communities
The Law Council of Australia is attempting to broaden legal services to those living in rural, regional and remote communities with the launch of a new three-year initiative.
Emma Musgrave
The LCA’s Rural, Regional and Remote (RRR) strategic plan has been launched this week, covering the 2021-23 period.
The launch of the initiative comes after research by the legal body found that while close to 30 per cent of Australians live in RRR areas, only 10.5 per cent of the country’s solicitors practise outside an urban centre.
This, LCA president Dr Jacoba Brasch QC said, significantly limits the options for those needing legal services.
“RRR communities are diverse and dynamic, and the kinds of legal needs experienced within vary substantially, from water rights allocation, to environment and planning restrictions, to farm succession planning, and laws which have special relevance to First Nations people,” Dr Brasch said while speaking at the Cooma Court House.
“Access to justice is undermined when there is a critical shortage of suitable legal representation in particular regions. Many RRR communities are particularly vulnerable to cycles of natural disaster, such as fires, drought. Emergencies generate particular areas of legal need for people who are ineligible for publicly funded legal assistance and emergencies also exacerbate existing legal problems and directly trigger others, including in relation to credit, debt or insurance.
“But there is a clear disparity between remote and urban justice, which means people in difficulties living in RRR communities are missing out.”
Dr Brasch noted there’s little doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated access to justice for RRR communities. Changes and delays to court hearings combined with state and territory border closures are just some of the issues people in RRR communities had to face in looking to obtain legal services or attend proceedings.
“There is no doubt that the profession’s increased experience using technology because of COVID-19 has created opportunities for the delivery of legal services in RRR areas,” Dr Brasch said.
“But we must remember to also address issues faced by people experiencing disadvantage who may, for a variety of reasons, experience difficulties in adapting to on-line legal service delivery.
“For too long, there has been too little regional engagement in law and policy development, which has meant that laws and policies have become ‘urban centric’ and drafted with little consideration to their application in RRR communities. That is what the National Strategic Plan is addressing."
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Emma Musgrave
Emma Musgrave (née Ryan) is the managing editor, professional services at Momentum Media.
Emma has worked for Momentum Media since 2015, including five years spent as the editor of the company's legal brand - Lawyers Weekly. Throughout her time at Momentum, she has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest stories in corporate Australia. In addition, she has produced exclusive multimedia and event content related to the company's respective brands and audiences.
Prior to joining Momentum Media, Emma worked in breakfast radio, delivering news to the Central West region of NSW, before taking on a radio journalist role at Southern Cross Austereo, based in Townsville, North Queensland.
She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree from Charles Sturt University.
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