The Finocchiaro CLP Government cut funding to Legal Aid NT by more than $3.2 million this financial year, the director of the organisation has finally revealed, which appears to directly refute repeated claims by Attorney-General Marie-Clare Boothby that funding increased, while more service cuts are expected.
Legal Aid NT director Catherine Voumard wrote in a letter this week to the Criminal Lawyers Association of the NT, seen by the NT Independent, that there were three “key reasons” for the service cuts implemented by Legal Aid last November, with the first reason “a reduction in our overall funding to provide legal aid services”.
What does AG Boothby have to hide?
The problem with having such a small (265,000) population is that the gene pool for selective appointments is extremely shallow.
That NT population figure includes children and adolescents, so the appointment pool is even shallower.
The ‘cowboy’ mentality lives on!!!
I for one, am happy Legal Aid is being cut!
Someone inflicts pain and damage and the taxpayer has to defend their actions in court?
How about no!
@Derek, how do you know whether someone has inflicted pain and damage or not? Is it enough that police claim they have? The whole basis of our criminal court system is that people accused of crimes have the right to defend themselves. I hope you’re never charged with an offence you didn’t commit, or for which you have a legal defence available to you. I wouldn’t like to live in a world in which police can simply decide that a person is guilty without needing to present evidence to a court…