Fed: Federal govt drops ball on indigenous legal aid

AAP General News (Australia)
04-11-2006
Fed: Federal govt drops ball on indigenous legal aid

Aborigines have been forced to wait up to nine months in Queensland prisons before
seeing a lawyer .. under the federal government's restructuring of indigenous Legal Aid
services in the state.

Queensland Attorney-General LINDA LAVARCH says while the southern Queensland service
appears to be operating well .. north Queensland .. where most of the state's indigenous
community lives .. isn't coping with the high volume of work.

She says in one case an indigenous prisoner in Lotus Glen Correctional Centre at Mareeba
was kept waiting for nine months before seeing a lawyer.

Ms LAVARCH says such circumstances may lead to people pleading guilty when they have a defence.

She'll call on her federal counterpart PHILIP RUDDOCK to reassess the restructuring
of indigenous legal aid services during a meeting of Australia's attorney-generals in
Darwin today and tomorrow.

Mr RUDDOCK last year presided over the restructuring of Queensland's legal aid services
.. which saw the existing 11 services reduced to two .. servicing north and south Queensland
separately.

AAP RTV nt/ch/jv/bart

KEYWORD: INDIGENOUS LEGAL (BRISBANE)

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