Almost 50% of Australians will experience at least one legal problem each year and yet access to the legal system is unaffordable for most people.
The Productivity Commission is conducting a 15-month inquiry into Australia’s system of civil dispute resolution, with a focus on constraining costs and promoting access to justice and equality before the law.
PIAC has made a submission that discusses a wide range issues, including unmet legal needs, the cost of accessing civil justice, preventing issues from escalating, using informal mechanisms to best effect, improving the accessibility of tribunals and courts, ensuring there are effective and responsive legal services and increasing funding for litigation.
In relation to unmet legal needs, PIAC’s submission focuses on those with a physical disability or mental illness, people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness; and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.
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