The Tasmanian Government has today welcomed the report of the independent review of the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Legal Assistance Partnership (NLAP) undertaken by Dr Warren Mundy.
The NLAP provides important Commonwealth financial support to Tasmania Legal Aid, Tasmanian Community Legal Centres and the Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service to continue to deliver critical legal services in Tasmania.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Guy Barnett, said that this report was commissioned by the Commonwealth, states and territories in June 2023 to assess to what extent the NLAP has achieved its objectives and outcomes.
“Given the current ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Legal Assistance Partnership was due to expire in 2025, this was an important piece of work that seeks to strengthen Australia’s legal system,” the Attorney-General said.
“It was particularly important given this review also considered how future arrangements could better provide access for justice for all who need it.
“Our 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania’s Future seeks to uplift Tasmanians and by fostering an effective, fit-for-purpose legal system we can begin to realise our vision.
“The Government will now work closely with the Commonwealth and other state and territory governments to ensure the Tasmanian legal sector can continue to provide free or low-cost legal services for Tasmanians who need it most.”
The Report makes 39 recommendations to the Commonwealth, state and territory governments that focus on four key themes that encapsulate the challenges facing the sector:
- increased investment in access to justice and frontline services is required to ensure essential services are delivered to Australia’s most marginalised people;
- sustainable sector reform is required to strengthen the long-term capacity and capability of the sector, e.g. through the development of workforce and enabling capabilities;
- funding arrangements must deliver better justice outcomes for First Nations peoples and embed Closing the Gap commitments; and
- funding arrangements should be streamlined to reduce funding fragmentation, improve quality of data and data collection, and develop more meaningful reporting requirements.
A copy of the final report is available on the .
