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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-03-19 Daily Xml
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Legal Services Commission

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (14:48): My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the minister update the council about the recent announcement regarding the leadership of the Legal Services Commission?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:48): I thank the honourable member for his question. The Director of the Legal Services Commission, Ms Gabrielle Canny, has announced her retirement after more than a decade in the role. A graduate of the University of Adelaide, Ms Canny has worked throughout Australia and overseas. She spent eight years at the Legal Services Commission before being appointed deputy director, a role which she held for three years before ultimately being appointed as director in 2012. She has been an exemplary leader.

Under Ms Canny's careful guidance, the commission has developed its physical presence across the state, with offices expanding and refurbishing over many areas of this state. Her careful management and direction of resources towards the areas of greatest legal need has meant that our most vulnerable citizens get better access to legal assistance when they need it most.

These endeavours have reflected Ms Canny's push to modernise our Legal Services Commission, which has delivered four million legal assistance services to South Australians since it began operations way back in 1979. I have been most fortunate to attend the commission's premises at a number of places, including Noarlunga, Elizabeth, Port Adelaide and of course here in the CBD, and have met many of the committed staff at these offices.

In response to community demand to help resolve family law disputes, under Ms Canny's guidance South Australia found itself at the forefront of a groundbreaking national service combining artificial intelligence and family law, as the amica project took off. As I have previously advised this council, amica is a secure digital service developed by National Legal Aid and legal aid commissions, including the Legal Services Commission of South Australia, and funded by the commonwealth Attorney-General's Department.

Amica is a mobile-first tool that helps guide separating couples through parenting arrangements and property settlements, empowering those who use it to resolve their own disputes and seek information, education and assistance where needed. It can then generate documents to record any agreed decisions. Ms Canny was a leader in this initiative, which has resulted in an enormous benefit being delivered to Australians who have empowered themselves with this new online tool.

The appointment of Gabrielle Canny as Director of the Legal Services Commission was announced on 30 September 2012. In that same year, the Hon. Chris Kourakis was appointed as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and Adam Kimber was appointed Director of Public Prosecutions. The then chair of the Legal Services Commission noted that, with the appointment of Ms Canny, the commission was, and I will quote:

…embarking upon a period of change and a fresh perspective required to respond to recommendations expected from the current review of State funded legal aid services in South Australia and the Commonwealth Government national review of legal assistance services across Australia…

It is noteworthy that the commission faces a similar time of change for our next Director of the South Australian Legal Services Commission, with the report of the review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership program expected to be handed down sometime later this year.

I want to place on record my very big thanks to Gabrielle Canny for her 23 years of service to the people of South Australia at the Legal Services Commission and her more than a decade of exemplary leadership of the commission as its director. I wish her all the best in her well-earned retirement.

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