WestSide Community Lawyers

The Hon. R.B. MARTIN (14:45): My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the Attorney please inform the council about the grand opening of WestSide Community Lawyers new head office?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:45): I thank the honourable member for his question. I would be most pleased to inform the chamber about developments in WestSide Community Lawyers and the services they provide. Recently, I was joined by Attorney-General Chris Sumner; the Commissioner for Equal Opportunity, Jodeen Carney; Port Adelaide Enfield Mayor, Claire Bowen; and Michelle Ford, the CEO and managing lawyer at WestSide, for the opening of their new head office in Port Adelaide.

For around 50 years, WestSide Community Lawyers has provided critical and quality legal services to those who may otherwise go without access to legal assistance. With a broad outreach of service delivery, WestSide provides legal services in the west of Adelaide and regionally in the Barossa, Yorke, Mid North and outback regions across South Australia. I was fortunate a couple of years ago to visit their office in Port Pirie.

Through both state and commonwealth funding under the National Legal Assistance Partnership, WestSide provides a wide range of legal services, including a generalist legal service and services in family law and family violence, as well as a mental health program, including the litigation guardian service, amongst a range of services.

In mid-2022, the community legal centre sector held a series of workshops to look at how legal services could be best provided in conjunction with other community legal centres, such as WestSide. WestSide has already generously contributed to this work of looking at a service delivery plan, and I would particularly like to thank all those who have been involved in looking at the legal needs assessment plan in terms of community legal centres in South Australia.