Whyalla Legal Services

The Hon. M. EL DANNAWI (15:22): My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the Attorney-General inform the council about his visit to the Legal Services Commission office in Whyalla?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector, Special Minister of State) (15:22): I thank the honourable member for her question. As I have mentioned, it was a privilege to be able to spend time just yesterday in Whyalla at several forums and to have discussions with members of the local council in Whyalla, but it was also a good opportunity to visit a number of other areas, including the Legal Services Commission in Whyalla, to hear more about how the additional funding the state government is providing will be used and is being used to provide further legal supports to Whyalla residents as they navigate some of the challenges the community currently faces.

On my visit yesterday to the Legal Services Commission Whyalla office I was joined by the Deputy Premier, the Hon. Susan Close MP, and had the opportunity to meet and talk to some of the solicitors in the Whyalla office, several of whom will be there as a result of recent government funding where the Legal Services Commission has now established a new emergency legal service. That service is being staffed every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to assist businesses and community members with any legal issues that may arise, importantly without means testing.

It was encouraging yesterday to hear directly from those involved in providing the services that they are being proactive in their legal support to the community, including already having reached out to institutions such as various banks in Whyalla, which no doubt will be fielding questions from their customers—which will be many of the businesses that support the steelworks in Whyalla—to discuss the various legal queries that may be raised by the customers of those banks.

The Legal Services Commission staff also shared with me their plans to proactively reach out to other institutions in Whyalla, such as the local council, to have similar discussions, as well as with the industry advocate, and appoint as Whyalla regional coordinator John Chapman OAM, who is responsible for ensuring that state government projects in and around the Whyalla region actively engage with local businesses and workers, creating new opportunities for those impacted by recent job losses, and providing some level of answers to questions that local business owners and operators may have.

The types of legal queries that the solicitors can provide advice on is wide and varied. It includes things like debt recovery; Centrelink advice; bankruptcy and insolvency, including processes currently underway in Whyalla; residential tenancies; mortgage deferrals; employment law queries; domestic violence; and can make referrals to mental health and financial counselling services.

I saw firsthand during the flood events in the Riverland just how well community legal centres were able to provide services to a community during times of need, and I am very pleased that the Legal Services Commission is providing some of those services for the people of Whyalla. People in Whyalla wishing to access the service can drop into the Legal Services Commission in Whyalla or book an appointment by contacting the legal helpline.

Once again, I would sincerely like to thank the commission and its solicitors and support staff for their hard work in providing high-quality legal advice to the Whyalla community. I am proud that this government has not hesitated to fast-track decisions to facilitate these small but important extra services.