Questions on Notice - Community Legal Sector Funding during COVID-19
Following the Society's recent submission to the Australian Government's inquiry into the response to COVID-19, Shadow Attorney-General Paul Lynch MP put questions on notice to the NSW Attorney-General requesting further clarification about the timing of the distribution of legal centre funding after the Federal Government's announcement on 6 May 2020. Members and supporters in the sector who assisted with the Society's submissions may be particularly interested in reading the NSW Government's response - read it by clicking here.
Read moreSubmission to the Joint Select Committee on the Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020
On 21 August 2020 the NSW Society of Labor Lawyers lodged a submission with the Joint Select Committee on the Anti-Discrimination Amendment (Religious Freedoms and Equality) Bill 2020. The submission provided in principle support for the expansion of religious anti-discrimination protections through amendments to the Anti-Discrimination Act 1977 (NSW). However, the Society argued that expansion of religious discrimination laws is a complex area, fraught with difficulty due to the risk that any expansion of such laws infringes on other attributes protected by already existing discrimination laws in Australia, and argued that numerous provisions in the draft Bill should be rejected. To read the submission, click here.
Read moreSubmission to the Select Committee on the impact of technological and other change on the future of work and workers in New South Wales
On 7 September 2020 the NSW Society of Labor Lawyers lodged a submission with the Select Committee on the impact of technological and other change on the future of work and workers in New South Wales. The submission argued that the Workplace Surveillance Act 2005 (NSW) should be amended to reflect changes to workplace technology and the way we work after the COVID-19 pandemic. To view a copy of the submission, click here.
Read moreFundraiser for the Eden-Monaro By-Election
To help support the campaign, the NSW Society of Labor Lawyers will be hosting a fundraiser for Kristy McBain, a former lawyer, Mayor of Bega Valley Shire Council, and Labor’s candidate for the seat, to help her retain this seat for Labor.
Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Australian Government's Response to COVID-19
The Society has lodged a submission with the Select Committee on COVID-19's inquiry into the Australian Government’s response to the pandemic. The Society's submission addresses the Australian Government's response in respect to the community legal sector, announced on 6 May 2020. The submission follows consultation with our members and supporters in the sector.
Ultimately, the Society submits that the timing of the Australian Government’s additional funding to the community legal sector, announced almost two months after significant socio-economic reform that would, on the face of it, cause substantial economic disruption and a cascade of legal problems, was too late in the pandemic cycle to allow for the speedy allocation of funds to the sector.
Statement regarding Application to Vary the Legal Services Award
The NSW Society of Labor Lawyers has issued a statement regarding the recent application by a number of law firms to vary the Legal Services Award 2020 in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Society is calling upon its members and supporters in the legal profession to join their relevant trade union so that during this pandemic the lowest paid workers in our practices are properly represented, and after the pandemic is over, we build a better, more compassionate legal profession.
You can view a copy of the Society's statement here.
Read moreThe Second Frank Walker Memorial Lecture 2016
“The Things That Must Be Done...” **
Some Genuine Decision-Making Power: Dealing with the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the prison system
Bob Debus - 16 February 2016 - Download a PDF of the speech here.
Last year Judge Greg Woods presented the inaugural Frank Walker Memorial Lecture. He gave an account of the exceptional range and lasting significance of the reform of the justice system and the expansion of civil liberty achieved during Frank’s term as Attorney General and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs.
Greg was head of the Criminal Law Review Division of the Attorney General’s Department during a good deal of that time. I observe that the abolition of the Division last year took place within the new Justice Superministry in which the Minister for Police is senior to the Attorney General. That is a constraint on the role of the Attorney General for which I can find no precedent in the history of New South Wales.
Guide to the JobKeeper Scheme - by David Chin SC, Ian Neil SC and Chris Parkin
Presentation to NSW Labor Lawyers CLE "How employees pursue and employers avoid underpayment in Australia"
On 31 March 2020 NSW Labor Lawyers hosted a CLE event entitled "How employees pursue and employers avoid underpayment in Australia". The CLE was presented by Ruth Nocka, Partner at Dentons, and Adam Guy, barrister at HB Higgins Chambers. The seminar traced the law of underpayments in Australia, including choice of forum issues, remedies, and how businesses can avoid non-compliance. A copy of Adam Guy's presentation is available online here.
Presentation to NSW Labor Lawyers CLE "How employees pursue and employers avoid underpayment in Australia"
On 24 March 2020 NSW Labor Lawyers hosted a CLE event entitled "The changing landscape of environmental litigation". The CLE was presented by Matt Floro, Solicitor at EDO NSW, who was solicitor on the record in the groundbreaking Rocky Hill mine litigation. Mr Floro discussed the new wave of environmental litigation in Australia. A copy of his presentation is available online here.
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