The Independent Review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership (NLAP) Final Report has been released.
Dr Warren Mundy, who headed up the Review, said the report was informed by months of consultation with stakeholders across the country.
“I conducted in excess of 150 meetings with service providers, government agencies and other stakeholders and received over 130 submissions,” he said.
“I heard about the challenges they are facing and how increased funding and improved public administration would improve access to justice for the most vulnerable members of our communities.
“I hope that this report lays the foundation for governments across Australia to overhaul how access to justice is supported in this country, particularly for Indigenous Australians, women and children.”
The Final Report makes 39 recommendations and identifies a range of issues that affect the sector’s capacity to deliver these important legal services.
The Review identifies the need for:
- increased investment in access to justice and frontline services to ensure essential services are delivered to Australia’s most marginalised people,
- sustainable sector reform to strengthen the long-term capacity and capability of the sector, e.g. through the development of workforce and enabling capabilities,
- funding arrangements to deliver better justice outcomes for First Nations peoples and embed the Closing the Gap commitment, and
- funding arrangements to be streamlined to reduce funding fragmentation, improve quality of data and data collection, and develop more meaningful reporting requirements.
Read the full report here: https://www.ag.gov.au/sites/default/files/2024-05/nlap-review-final-report.PDF