The justice and legal system is presented with ever more complex victim and offender scenarios. It struggles to keep up with known challenges such as the need for cross-cultural approaches for Aboriginal offenders, let alone new challenges such as the wave of violent crimes arising from the “ice” epidemic.

More proactive, preventative service delivery models are being sought to reduce the number of people ending up in the criminal justice system as well as to decrease recidivism.  Solutions are rarely clear and high levels of consultation and good will are required to get them implemented.

Examples of Results

Australian Consumer Law

In 2011, the new Australian Consumer Law was implemented enabling a more integrated, harmonized approach to consumer protection.  These reforms have significantly changed the legislative framework for consumers and traders, including the way consumer policy is developed and implemented, and how consumer law is communicated and enforced in Australia. As an independent collaborator, we successfully facilitated a session with consumer protection jurisdictions and the ACCC to make final decisions in areas where agreement was yet to be reached. We have subsequently assisted jurisdictions to develop new priorities that reflect the changed legislative environment. This cohesive group of Commonwealth and State regulators has achieved extraordinarily high levels of trust, collaboration and collective action.

Victims Assistance And Counseling Program

There is a growing waiting list of victims needing support and insufficient numbers of staff on the ground.  As well as dealing with the burden of overwhelming caseloads, staff wellbeing is also negatively impacted given the inherent stress of working with victim’s experiences of trauma.  We supported staff to understand how they can take action to change the current situation, including the creation of a business case to secure more investment in the sector.

Koorie Courts

Over 200 people came together to strengthen and adapt the existing relationships, protocols and approaches of the Koorie Courts. The participants included magistrates and senior staff from the formal judicial system, Aboriginal Elders and Respected Persons and Koori Court Officers from Aboriginal communities around Victoria.  In collaboration with the Koori Court Office and the Children’s Court, we created a framework and the environment for discussions around what is considered culturally appropriate and inappropriate behaviour for magistrates, an understanding of areas where Elders and Respected Persons might step over judicial boundaries, and potential areas of confusion between the role of the Magistrate and the Aboriginal Elders and Respected Persons with regard to decision-making and conflicts of interest.  A most entertaining and provocative role-play was scripted and performed by some of Melbourne’s most senior magistrates to stimulate and engage robust discussion around sensitive issues.