There was some welcome news for our regional communities in the 2019-20 NSW Budget last week with the allocation of $18 million over two years to refurbish and upgrade Queanbeyan courthouse plus a $3.4 million allocation for much needed upgrades to courthouses in Griffith, Orange and Bathurst. Members of the community accessing our court system are some of the most vulnerable in our state, including victims of family and domestic violence, so it is crucial that they feel safe and supported when they attend court, that their privacy is protected, and that those working to assist them, including solicitors and court support workers, have access to appropriately resourced court facilities.

I was pleased to see the NSW Budget also included $3.3 million to establish the world’s first dedicated residential trauma centre for children who have lost a loved one to homicide. “Grace’s Place” will be named in honour of the late Grace Lynch, the mother of Anita Cobby and founder of the Homicide Victims Support Group (HVSG). It will be built at Doonside in Sydney’s west and managed by the HVSG.

NSW has moved one step closer to having its first-ever Ageing and Disability Commissioner, with the passing of a landmark Bill in Parliament last week. The new Ageing and Disability Commissioner will have strong powers to investigate allegations of abuse, neglect and exploitation of the elderly and people with disabilities. The legislation will also give the Commissioner the power to compel information from individuals and organisations and execute search warrants for the purpose of an investigation. The Ageing and Disability Commissioner will be established from 1 July 2019, so an announcement on who will be appointed to the new role is imminent.

On another subject, the program is now finalised for our upcoming Future of Law and Innovation in the Profession (FLIP) Conference and Innovation Dinner in Sydney on 25 July 2019.  This year’s conference program is our most ambitious to date and is shaping up to be this year’s key event for the profession.

I encourage members to go to the dedicated FLIP Conference and Innovation Dinner website, which outlines the full program for the one-day event which includes a keynote address by Professor Richard Susskind OBE (via live webcast), a “Great Debate” moderated by the Hon Michael Kirby AC CMG, plus three concurrent streams of workshop sessions, which attendees can mix and match as they please. The Conference Dinner, showcasing the finalists of this year’s Hackathon event #innovate2019, will be an outstanding way to wrap up the day’s activities. And just a reminder that expressions of interest for #innovate2019 close this Wednesday, 26 June 2019.

Finally, late last week the NSW Government announced it has identified a number of defects in the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (NSW) that could render some provisions of the Act inoperable. It has referred the legislation to the Standing Committee on Social Issues for its inquiry and report.

Elizabeth Espinosa, Law Society President

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