The Attorney General Mark Dreyfus and Luke Gosling MP visited NAAFLS recently and we had lots to talk about! The main topics we covered were:
Pay
Recruitment and retention challenges for both lawyers and caseworkers because of the pay differences between Community Legal Services and the Legal Aid Commission. The Attorney General talked about his intent to review the terms and conditions for CLSs and Legal Aid Commission.
Housing, particularly remote housing
Accommodation shortages particularly in Katherine and challenges to service delivery when staff don’t have anywhere to live. Many NAAFLS staff believe housing is as much of a recruitment and retention issue as low pay.
Cost of training the next generation of culturally competent lawyers
Recognition of the cost of student placements/internships. NAAFLS can have up to 10 students a year, which is important for skilling the next generation, but there is a significant cost that needs to be recognised.
Importance of case workers for Aboriginal legal services
The vital role of caseworkers for client wrap-around services. Every matter at NAAFLS is appointed a caseworker and importance of our caseworker model is for service delivery.
Reduced appetite for pro-bono work from commercial legal firms in the NT
The Attorney General talked about ways the government can enforce pro-bono quotas on legal firms, particularly firms that work with government.
Justice reinvestment and what needs to be done for justice reinvestment to be a success
We talked about Katherine and the value of community involvement and engagement in sentencing as well as alternate sentencing options. Thanks for visiting – see you next time!
