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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2013-06-04 Daily Xml
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DISABILITY JUSTICE PLAN

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (14:29): Can the Attorney-General inform the house about how the government is engaging the South Australian community to increase access to the legal system for people living with a disability?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:30): I thank the honourable member for her question. Last week, I launched a discussion paper on the government's disability justice plan. We know that more needs to be done to make it safer for people living with a disability to have their voices heard in the criminal justice system. Increasing access to justice for all South Australians is an important priority for the government.

The disability justice plan will include a number of measures: changes will be made to the Evidence Act to improve the way in which the criminal justice system responds to vulnerable victims and witnesses; training programs will be developed for criminal justice system staff, including the judiciary, to ensure that they are employing the best practice when working with people with a disability; and the prioritisation of trials will occur that involve vulnerable witnesses and victims.

The discussion paper poses a number of questions about these measures and seeks feedback on how these should be developed and implemented. The Commissioner of Police has also announced that an additional five highly trained officers will be allocated to work with vulnerable victims who have a communication or intellectual disability. These officers will also educate and train other police officers in assisting vulnerable victims.

It is of the utmost importance that the community engage in this consultation process. We want to hear from disability advocacy groups, the legal profession, police officers and victim support groups and, most importantly, we want to hear from people with a disability who have had involvement with the criminal justice system. Further information about the consultation process and how to get involved over the next two months can be found at www.saplan.org.au/yoursay or simply by calling 8463 4364.

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