Why is Australia's Legal System a Little Iffy and How Covid Affects It
- Written by News Co
Australia has had problems with its legal system for some time, but the problem is hardly talked about. The issues with the system are coming under more pressure because of the pandemic.
Issues With the System
Australia's legal system is facing numerous problems. The workload is becoming too much for professionals. Australians get the short end of the stick as citizens continue to have delays.
Of course, people are frustrated about this, but nothing can be done about it. These delays cost folks more money than they should. The problems can encourage folks to drop their cases even if they had a high chance of winning. Sometimes, the cases drop because people run out of cash, other times they just want to avoid the hassle.
Why are There so Many Problems?
The problems simply come down to money. This is a reality most Australians know or suspect. It would be easier if the issue was something like what the CMC lawyers went through where it was more clear who the guilty party was. No, the issue is money, and that means it's about politics. The legal system needs funds, and this needs to happen quickly.
The less cash the system has, the less it's able to handle the workload. Things have only gotten worse because of the pandemic. Attempting to get through the workload during the pandemic is challenging. Technology is great, but it doesn't always work so well. There are glitches all the time that could delay things, which are happening at the moment. Covid has brought economies down to their knees, and Australia isn't an exception, which could make it harder for politicians to pass any additional funding to the legal system.
A Positive Change
The good thing is Covid is forcing politicians to pass something to aid the legal system. A lot of people have been affected by Covid one way or another, and some of these folks need some help, which is where the legal system should come in handy. Those delays the system was putting on folks could be worse because no one was stepping up to do the right thing.
The problem is the funds allocated for the justice system will only apply to folks with a case involving the pandemic. While this is good news for them because they need all the help they could get, it doesn't help everyone. Hopefully, politicians can see how important it is to fund the judicial system and offer even more funding to the system. Australians don't need to deal with a problem that isn't their job to fix.
How are Lawyers Attempting to Help?
Australian lawyers know the reality many people face here. This is part of the reason they push their clients to settle outside of the court because facing those delays only causes problems. Good lawyers know that delays force you to spend more money, and right now people don't have that extra bit of cash because of the pandemic.
The good thing is Covid has introduced a bit of a change that lawyers will adopt all over the country. What's even better is that this change seems to be becoming permanent even after Covid is finally defeated. The pandemic forced lawyers to work with clients at more flexible hours. This was possible through video conferences and emails.
Contact-less services gave lawyers an opportunity to offer help faster and be able to work with more people than before. This is going to become permanent, too, which is going to help tremendously. Maybe lawyers can charge less for consultations over video to give Australians a break.
There's no doubt some of these changes won't solve the deeper issues the legal system in this country is facing, but things are still moving forward. Everyone should be paying attention and should get more involved to push for reform.
Daily Bulletin
