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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2024-06-18 Daily Xml
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National Law Week

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (15:09): My question is to the Attorney-General. Will the minister inform the council about the engagement activities undertaken by the Legal Services Commission during the national Law Week?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (15:09): I certainly will. I thank the honourable member for his question. He almost caught me by surprise. I was listening to and appreciating the Adelaide Roller Derby tournament. I would love to speak about that too but I will confine myself to the Legal Services Commission's activity during Law Week.

Law Week is an occasion marked across Australia with the intention, as I have mentioned before in here, of increasing public knowledge of the law and the services available, plus particularly the legal assistance sector. I will be very pleased to outline some of the things undertaken by the Legal Services Commission during Law Week.

I have spoken about the Legal Services Commission and their outstanding work for South Australia in this place before. The Legal Services Commission plays a critically important role in the community by providing legal assistance to those in need plus a broader role of being a source for useful, general legal information, particularly via the Law Handbook.

During Law Week, the Legal Services Commission delivered a number of engagement activities which exemplified the stated aims of the week, which generated great community participation and I am sure increased awareness of both the law and how it applies, as well as the Legal Services Commission's excellent work within the community.

Throughout the week, the Legal Services Commission shared Daily Legal Bytes on their social media platforms, to make the law more approachable, accessible and understandable. Firstly, which I of course mentioned last sitting week, the Walk for Justice was held during Law Week and the Legal Services Commission were proud participants as was the honourable young Robbie Simms, who walked that morning very well.

On Wednesday during Law Week, the Legal Services Commission held a webinar, with more than 120 registrants, to highlight ways in which members of the public can access legal help and the important role of the legal assistance sector in the process. At the University of South Australia, the Legal Services Commission held a careers session at the Legal Services Commission session to inform law students of what a career in the sector looks like and to highlight the meaningful career that one can have in the sector, but particularly the role of the Legal Services Commission.

A promotional event was held at the Adelaide Railway Station, with flyers and information handed out to commuters about the free legal information available to all South Australians via the Legal Services Commission's legal helpline, which can provide general advice and guidance about next steps. As part of this, legal officers were on hand to offer free legal health check-ups for those interested, answering questions about topics on a range of areas such as wills, tenancy rights and more.

Finally, staff from the Legal Services Commission presented their Rights and Responsibilities Online session, which is available free to school students in high school years. It was presented to 380 students at Glenunga International High School, covering topics such as bullying, online commerce, image-based abuse, defamation and hate speech. I want to acknowledge the excellent work that the Legal Services Commission does, not only during this dedicated week but all year round, to improve access to justice for all South Australians.

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