The
Law Council of Australia is an association of
law societies and
bar associations from the
States and territories of
Australia, and the peak body representing the
legal profession in
Australia. The Council was formed in 1933 to unite
the various state legal associations, in order to represent the
profession at a national level and at an international level. The
Council is particularly vocal on subjects involving federal law,
that is, laws made or considered by the
Parliament of Australia. , the
Council represents over 56,000 lawyers across Australia.
The Council consists of representatives from its sixteen
constituent bodies, and an executive body elected by the council.
The current President is
Ross Ray QC.
Former Presidents include two former Chief Justices of Australia, Sir
John Latham and Sir
Garfield Barwick, and former
High
Court
Justice Douglas
Menzies. The Council also forms committees on various
subjects, such as
Indigenous
legal issues, national criminal law, and
alternative dispute
resolution.
In 1986, the Council established a separate family law section, for
practitioners specialising in
Australian family law. It represents
about 2000 lawyers across Australia. The Council administers a
number of awards, including the John Koowarta Reconciliation Law
Scholarship, awarded to
Indigenous Australians studying law
in Australian universities. The award is named for
John Koowarta, the plaintiff in the famous
Koowarta v
Bjelke-Petersen case. The Council sponsors the Human
Rights Law Award, awarded by the
Australian Human Rights
Commission. Recent winners include barrister
Julian Burnside.
The Council often comments on the legal policy of the
Government of Australia, and on
proposed legislation in the
Parliament of Australia. It also
often gives testimony to parliamentary inquiries. Recent stances
adopted by the Council include strong criticism of the
Australian Anti-Terrorism Act
2005, and a criticism of profiteering in the insurance industry
and weaknesses in personal injury legislation.
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