Legal aid is the provision of assistance to people who are unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial. This article describes the development of legal aid and its principles, primarily as known in Europe, the Commonwealth of Nations and in the United States.
George Henry Brandis is an Australian former politician. He was a Senator for Queensland from 2000 to 2018, representing the Liberal Party, and was a cabinet minister in the Abbott and Turnbull governments. He was later High Commissioner to the United Kingdom from 2018 to 2022.
Mark Alfred Dreyfus is an Australian politician and lawyer who has been attorney-general of Australia and cabinet secretary since June 2022, having held both roles previously in 2013 and from 2010 to 2013 respectively. Dreyfus is a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), and has been the MP for Isaacs since the 2007 election.
The Attorney-General's Department, also known as the Department of the Attorney-General, is the law enforcement and justice department of the Australian Government. The AG’s Department is responsible for the enforcement and compliance of federal law, the administration of justice and the national oversight of industrial relations affairs. The department oversees various sub-agencies including the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), the Australian Federal Police (AFP), the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Emilios Kyrou is a Greek-Australian jurist and former lawyer who has served as a judge of the Federal Court of Australia and President of the Administrative Review Tribunal since 8 June 2023.
Margaret Joan Beazley,, is an Australian jurist who is the 39th and current governor of New South Wales, serving since 2 May 2019. She was the president of the New South Wales Court of Appeal, the first woman to hold the office, from 2013 until February 2019.
Sir Arthur Thomas George AO, born Athanasios Theodore Tzortzatos, was an Australian lawyer and association football administrator.
Annabelle Claire Bennett is the Chancellor of Bond University and a former Judge of the Federal Court of Australia.
Andrew Edgar Francis Metcalfe, is a former senior Australian public servant and policymaker who was Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry until 4 August 2023 when he retired. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia and Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management. He was a Partner at Ernst and Young, Canberra in its Government and Public Sector team from 2014-19. Metcalfe was appointed by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus QC MP to the role of lead reviewer of the Family Relationships Services Program on 15 November 2023, with a 30 June 2024 deadline by which to complete the review.
Peter John Boxall is a former senior Australian public servant and policymaker.
Robert John Cornall is a retired Australian senior public servant, he was head of the Attorney-General's Department between 2000 and 2008.
Stephen Thomas Sedgwick, is a retired senior Australian public servant. He is best known for his time as Australian Public Service Commissioner between 2009 and 2014, and for his prior appointments as secretary of various departments in the Australian Public Service.
Patrick Brazil was an Australian senior public servant. His career included time serving as the head of the Attorney-General's Department between 1983 and 1989.
Graeme Gordon Innes is an Australian lawyer, mediator and company director, university chancellor and was Australia's Disability Discrimination Commissioner from December 2005 to July 2014.
Stephen Skehill is an Australian lawyer and public servant. Between 1994 and 1998 he was Secretary of the Australian Government Attorney-General's Department. He is currently ethics adviser to the ACT Legislative Assembly.
Roger Bruce Wilkins is a former senior Australian public servant. He was Secretary of the Attorney-General's Department between September 2008 and August 2014.
Francis Joseph Mahony was an Australian lawyer and public servant, who served as interim Director-General of Security for just over five months between 1975 and 1976.
HWL Ebsworth is a commercial law firm that operates throughout Australia. It is the largest partnership among Australian law firms, with 285 partners.
Alan Reginald Neaves was an Australian public servant, lawyer and judge, best known for his role as head of the Attorney-General's Department between 1979 and 1983, and as a Federal Court judge between 1983 and 1995.
Iain James Kerr Ross is a retired Australia jurist who served as a judge of the Federal Court of Australia from 1 March 2012 to 18 November 2022, as well as President of the Australian Fair Work Commission during the same period. He previously served as a judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria between 2009 and 2012.
Australian