Monday, 5 December 2016
NORTHERN Tablelands MP Adam Marshall is calling on regional residents to have their say on new plans on tackling everyday legal problems including mobile phone bills or getting a refund for a faulty product can be better.
Mr Marshall said Attorney-General Gabrielle Upton had announced the start of a community consultation on reforms to make our civil justice system quicker, cheaper and more accessible.
Mr Marshall said issues such as disputes with neighbours, landlords and phone companies make up 85 per cent of all everyday legal problems but only 50 per cent of people find help to solve these issues.
“So this plan is designed to reform our state’s civil justice system that will help people to get the best advice, information and services for their everyday problems,” Mr Marshall said.
“When people have an everyday legal problem, like an argument with a neighbour or they can’t get a landlord to fix a broken window, they should be able to resolve the issue quickly, cheaply and, in most cases, outside court.
“That would reduce pressure on our courts and is good for the economy with fewer people having to take days off work to handle their legal problem.
“Governments don’t have all the answers, so we need to hear from the public about how we can deliver new smarter and cheaper ways to fix these legal problems.”
He said housing, debt and consumer issues were among the biggest bugbears for many residents in his electorate and the consultation gave them the chance to provide their personal opinions on how best those problems could be tackled under the reforms so fewer people were caught up in drawn-out and stressful situations.
Mr Marshall said information and feedback from regional residents was being sought and he’s encouraging northerners to participate in the consultation.
You can have a say by visiting www.haveyoursay.nsw.gov.au. Submissions can also be made to civiljustice@justice.nsw.gov.au or via mail to Civil Justice Project Team GPO Box 31 Sydney NSW 2001