A balancing act: lawyers' views on access to justice in regional, rural and remote NSW
Our summary
This report examines the challenges faced by people living in regional, rural and remote areas of New South Wales when accessing legal information, advice and representation. It explores how geography, population distribution and limited local resources influence people’s ability to resolve legal problems and achieve fair outcomes.
The report highlights that people in remote communities often experience greater barriers to justice than those in urban areas. These include long travel distances, limited availability of lawyers and legal assistance services, workforce shortages, poverty, reduced access to specialist legal support, digital connectivity challenges and difficulties navigating complex legal systems. These barriers can result in people delaying action, handling serious legal matters without support or experiencing unresolved legal issues that affect their housing, finances, safety, family relationships, and wellbeing.
A key theme of the report is that access to justice requires more than simply increasing the number of legal services. Effective solutions must consider local community needs, strengthen relationships between legal providers and other support services, and provide clear and accessible information to communities in a culturally appropriate manner.
Overall, the report calls for sustained investment and evidence-based planning to address inequalities in legal access across RRR NSW. It highlights the need for policymakers, legal organisations and service providers to recognise the unique challenges of regional communities and develop justice systems that are responsive, inclusive and accessible regardless of where people live.