ELIGIBILITY FOR LEGAL AID
Wednesday, August 30, 1972
The Legislative Council today agreed to a resolution which increases
the limits below which a person becomes eligible for legal aid.
Under the Legal Aid Ordinance, legal aid may now be granted in civil
cases to people whose disposable income does not exceed $700 a month and whose
capital resources do not exceed $4,000 an increase of $200 and $1,000
respectively.
The Acting Attorney General, the Hon. G.R. Sneath, told the Council
that the old figures were established in 1966 and since that time there had
been a rise in the general level of wages which meant that fewer people were
today eligible for legal aid.
He said that although the Government did not accept that these
financial limits should "slavishly" follow changes in the index of industrial
workers' wages, it was relevant that the index showed a rise of over one-third
in the wages in this sector.
Another resolution agreed to by the Council allows a person, whose
sentence is to be reviewed by the Full Court on application from the Attorney
General, to receive legal aid.
Mr. Sneath said that it was obviously proper that a person who would
be entitled to legal aid if he were appealing himself to the Full Court, should
be entitled to legal aid if he is a respondent on a motion by the Attorney
General to review his sentence.
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