Annual Report 2020 Annual Report 2020 Publisher Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales Level 13, 222 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000 PO Box A109, Sydney South NSW 1235 Ph: +61 2 8227 3200 Email: [email protected] Web: www.lawfoundation.net.au Front cover image: “Fire in the sky”, Spectacular sunrise in the main street of Broken Hill NSW Australia (1 May 2011). Rod Wilkinson. Typeset by: Midland Typesetters Pty Ltd. Printed by: Fineline Printing Australia Pty Ltd. © Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales, November 2020 ISSN 1832-7281 ISBN 978-0-6484225-8-7 Further copies of the Annual Report 2020 can be downloaded from www.lawfoundation.net.au Letter of transmittal Letter of transmittal 26 November 2020 26 November 2020 The Hon. Mark Speakman MP SC AttorneyThe Hon. General Mark Speakman of NSW MP SC 52Attorney Martin GeneralPlace of NSW SYDNEY52 Martin NSW Place 2000 SYDNEY NSW 2000 Dear Attorney Dear Attorney I present to you a copy of the Annual Report of the Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales for the financialI present yearto you 2019–20. a copy of the Annual Report of the Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales for the financial year 2019–20. This report has been prepared in accordance with the Law and Justice Foundation Act 2000 (NSW) and approvedThis report by hasthe beenFoundation’s prepared Board in accordance of Governors. with the Law and Justice Foundation Act 2000 (NSW) and approved by the Foundation’s Board of Governors. I would be grateful if you could arrange for the tabling of the report in both Houses of Parliament as soon as practicable.I would be grateful if you could arrange for the tabling of the report in both Houses of Parliament as soon as practicable. Yours sincerely Yours sincerely SharonSharon Cook Cook ChairChair BoardBoard of of Governors Governors Law and Justice Foundation of NSW TEL +61 2 8227 3200 LevelLaw and13, 222 Justice Pitt Street Foundation of NSW TEL +61 2 8227 3200 SYDNEYLevel 13, NSW 222 2000 Pitt Street WEB www.lawfoundation.net.au POSYDNEY Box A109 NSW 2000 EMAILWEB [email protected] SydneyPO Box South A109 NSW 1235 ABNEMAIL [email protected] 227 668 981 AUSTRALIASydney South NSW 1235 ABN 54 227 668 981 AUSTRALIA LJFAR_2020_Text.indd 3 25/11/20 10:30 am 4 Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales l Annual Report 2020 Contents Our organisation About the Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales 7 Our goals and objectives 7 Board of Governors 8 Year in review Message from the Chair 10 Message from the Director 14 Performance 2019–2020 Goal 1: Identify legal need and what works to address that need 1.1 Identify legal and access to justice need 17 1.2 Support policy development and planning service delivery 21 1.3 Identify what works to address legal need 28 1.4 Respond to priority access to justice issues 31 Goal 2: Improve access to justice 2.1 Support projects – the grants program 35 2.2 Facilitate legal sector relationships and coordination 37 2.3 Community legal education and referral program 39 2.4 Disseminate data, analysis and information 39 Goal 3: Cost-effective operations support 3.1 Develop the information management capabilities of the Foundation 41 3.2 Manage resources efficiently and effectively 41 Financial report Governors’ report 42 Auditor’s report 44 Governors’ declaration 46 Financial statements 47 Declaration of independence 63 Staff 64 Acknowledgements 65 5 6 Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales l Annual Report 2020 Our organisation About the Law and Justice Foundation Our goals and objectives of New South Wales Goal 1: Identify legal need and what works to Who we are address that need The Law and Justice Foundation of NSW is an 1.1 Identify legal and access to justice need independent, statutory, not-for-profit organisation 1.2 Support policy development and planning established in 1967 to improve access to justice for service delivery the people of New South Wales. It is incorporated 1.3 Identify what works to address legal need in New South Wales by the Law and Justice 1.4 Respond to priority access to justice issues Foundation Act 2000. Goal 2: Improve access to justice 2.1 Support projects – our grants program (no new Our purpose grants post December 2018) Our purpose is to advance the fairness and equity of 2.2 Facilitate legal sector relationships and the justice system, and to improve access to justice coordination for socially and economically disadvantaged people. 2.3 Community legal education and referral program What we believe 2.4 Disseminate data, analysis and information to Our purpose is underpinned by the following beliefs: improve access to justice • a fair and equitable justice system is essential for a Goal 3: Cost-effective operations support democratic, civil society 3.1 Develop the information management • reform should, where possible, be based on sound capabilities of the Foundation research 3.2 Manage resources efficiently and effectively • people need accurate, understandable information to have equitable access to justice • community support agencies and non-government organisations play a critical role in improving access to justice for disadvantaged people. What we do • Identify legal and access to justice needs, particularly of socially and economically disadvantaged people. • Identify effective legal system reforms and access to justice initiatives through evaluation and research. • Improve access to justice through: – contributing to the availability of understandable legal information – supporting projects and organisations that improve access to justice – disseminating information about access to justice and effective reforms and initiatives. 7 Board of Governors Dr Hugh McDermott MP (from 3 February 2020) is the Member for The Board consists of eight members who are Prospect in the NSW Legislative appointed for a term of up to three years. The Board Assembly. He is Chair of the State determines policies for the implementation of the Parliamentary Labor Party Legal Affairs Committee objects of the Foundation. The Director conducts and Chair of the NSW Opposition Disaster and manages the affairs of the Foundation in Readiness and Response Taskforce. Hugh is also a accordance with the directions of the Board. Member of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on The terms of appointment for most Board members the Ombudsman, the Law Enforcement Conduct expired during June 2020, and a number were Commission and the Crime Commission. Prior to his replaced on or before 30 June. As a result, the election Hugh was a practicing Barrister and following 11 Board members are listed as serving Director of the Postgraduate Financial Crimes during the 2019–20 financial year. Program at the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security. Sharon Cook (from 30 June 2020) is the current Chair of the Law and Justice Professor Julie Stubbs is a Foundation Board of Governors. Sharon criminologist and Professor in the is the Group Executive, Legal & Faculty of Law at the University of New Commercial Services at NAB, responsible for Legal, South Wales. She was previously Corporate Affairs (including Social Impact), Professor of Criminology at the University of Governance, Complaints, Remediation and the Sydney, where she had been Director of the Institute Customer Advocates. She has been prominent in the of Criminology. Before becoming an academic, she legal profession for over 25 years, working for top was a senior researcher with the NSW Bureau of tier private law firms, initially as a litigator and later Crime Statistics and Research. as Managing Partner. She is a champion of women Geoff Mulherin CSC has been in the legal profession and has been a leader in Director of the Foundation since addressing mental health and well-being among November 2000. lawyers. In 2012 she was named as one of the Australian Financial Review’s inaugural Women of Influence. The Hon. Paul Stein AM QC (until 29 June 2020) was the Chair of the Law Michael Fordham SC (from 15 June and Justice Foundation Board of 2020) is a Senior Counsel who Governors for the majority of the specialises in Inquests, Commissions reporting period. He became a judge in 1983 and and Inquiries, medical negligence and was appointed to the Land and Environment Court historical institutional child sexual abuse. Michael in 1985. In 1997, he was appointed to the Court of was previously the Course Director of the NSW Bar Appeal where he remained until his retirement in Practice Course and has an extensive interest and 2004. He has undertaken a number of reports and involvement in advocacy training. Michael was reviews for the government, and is the former Chair admitted to the New South Wales Bar in 1996 and of the Board of the Environment Protection was appointed Senior Counsel in 2012. Authority. He has chaired committees and Steven McAuley (from 15 June 2020) associations, in particular the Council of the is a Councillor of the Law Society of Community Justice Centres and the National NSW. One of the Principal Solicitors of Consumer Affairs Advisory Council. He has written McAuley Hawach Lawyers, Steve numerous articles and papers on environmental, formerly worked for a Judge of the Supreme Court administrative and consumer law, as well as on of NSW. Steve is also a member of the Specialist human rights and discrimination. Accreditation Board, the Professional Conduct Committee and the Elder Law, Capacity and Succession Committee of the Law Society of NSW. Steve is also an Accredited Specialist – Commercial Litigation. 8 Law and Justice Foundation of New South Wales l Annual Report 2020 Jason Behrendt (until 29 June 2020) is the Managing Director of Chalk & Behrendt.