News
Legal services cut in country SA |
Saturday, 18 April 2009
Four major South Australian regional towns are to have court services slashed as part of the Rann Government cuts to services in the lead up to the May 2009 budget.
Information given to the State Liberal Opposition reveals that legal advice, Justice of the Peace witnessing and a range of other services currently available in Kadina, Ceduna, Coober Pedy and Naracoorte are set to cease, with court officers facing redeployment or retrenchment.
Member for Goyder, Steven Griffiths MP reiterated that access to advice on how to approach the often intimidating legal system is a fundamental right that must be maintained for country residents.
“The closure of court services in these regional centres except for the one week that a visiting Magistrate sits, deprives locals of contact with officers who can provide expertise, information and advice.”
“Living outside of the city should not preclude people from accessing free and independent advice on their legal rights.
“This latest cut to services and the loss of jobs follows other Rann Government cuts to services and jobs in country SA.
• $31 million cut to country health and health services remain under threat
• Loss of 500 public service jobs from country SA with the Rann Government’s Shared Services initiative potentially costing regional SA $163 million.
“The city-centric Rann Government’s disdain for the needs of country people must be stopped.
“Mike Rann must intervene and halt the continuing attack on services available to country South Australians.”
Action taken:
Since taking the telephone call from a Kadina resident last Wednesday night with the news that the Kadina court is threatened with a serious downgrading in services I immediately contacted the members of Parliament for the Ceduna, Coober Pedy and Naracoorte communities which are also threatened with the same loss of service asking them to do all possible to ensure that our court services remain as is and then wrote to the Minister for Justice, Attorney-General Michael Atkinson MP urging him to ensure that this threat to services is reconsidered.
I have also spoken with local law enforcement officers who are opposed to the proposed cuts in services.
In these hard economic times, regional South Australia needs more, not less services. I would urge concerned residents to write to the Attorney-General and tell him clearly that we want our court facility to remain open on a full time basis.