News
Empowering Aboriginal youth To Break the Cycle
Law Week 2008 (11 - 18 May 2008) - Getting the Balance Right
SA business leaders pledge support for community groups
Progress made at Standing Committee of Attorneys-General
Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards 2008
Innovative grants program a ‘win-win’ for university students and the community
Rape reform laws introduced into Parliament
Empowering Aboriginal youth To Break the Cycle
April 2008
The Attorney-General’s Department is delighted to highlight its integral involvement of the new youth justice initiative called the Aboriginal Power Cup.
Our partners in this initiative are the Port Adelaide Football Club, the South Australian Aboriginal Sports Training Academy and the SANFL.
The Aboriginal Power Cup was launched on Anzac Day by the Deputy Premier Kevin Foley and will become an annual Aboriginal football carnival funded by Attorney-General’s Department and the Port Adelaide Football Club.
The carnival picks up on key recommendations from Monsignor David Cappo’s report To Break the Cycle and will be complemented by additional programs that promote school-based education and vocational training.
The carnival involves Aboriginal youth playing in teams from all over South Australia and culminates in the Aboriginal Power Cup Grand Final to be held on 15 August 2008 as a curtain raiser to the Port Adelaide versus Collingwood clash at AAMI Stadium.
For more information please contact Sandra McCue, Attorney General's Department on telephone number (08) 8204 9852.
Download Aboriginal Power Cup flyer.pdf
Law Week 2008 (11 - 18 May 2008) - Getting the Balance Right
April 2008
Law Week is an annual event organised by the Law Week Committee, in conjunction with the SA Institute of Justice Studies and the Law Foundation. With collaboration and contributions from both public and private sector organisations, the comprehensive program of events is designed to promote greater community understanding of the legal system and justice related issues. The theme for Law Week this year is Getting the Balance Right.
A mock trial to set the tone for Law Week
Law Week 2008, will see a trial replace the traditional Law Week Debate. The mock trial on 8 May 2008 will debut Law Week with further activities to follow from Sunday 11 May. For more information on the trial and other Law Week events visit www.justice.net.au/law_week.htm.
Opening the door on the Courts
The Courts Open Day will take place on Saturday 10 May, from 10am to 3.30pm. This popular annual event is run by dedicated volunteer staff of the Courts Administration Authority, with assistance on the day from associated justice agencies.
This year is the 10th Courts Open Day and the public will be invited to view areas usually ‘out of bounds’ to the public including court rooms, and cells, as well as viewing an historical exhibit. Justice-related agencies including Legal Services Commission will provide displays and information about their role in the justice system.
Come and meet the Legal Services Commission in your shopping area
To promote greater community awareness of services provided by the Legal Services Commission, an information and display booth will be run by Legal Services Commission staff in six shopping centres during Law Week.
The booths will provide legal information and advice on services provided by the Commission to the public. People will have the opportunity to meet Legal Services Commission staff and collect practical information.
Shopping centres in Noarlunga, Elizabeth, Mount Barker, Port Adelaide, Whyalla and Port Augusta, will each host a booth for one day between 10 am and 3 pm.
For exact dates and locations contact visit www.lsc.sa.gov.au.
SA business leaders pledge support for community groups
April 2008
South Australian community organisations are set to benefit from more skills, knowledge and hands on deck following the launch of the Office for Volunteers' new corporate volunteering program on Thursday, 27 March 2008.
Premier Mike Rann and Minister for Volunteers Jennifer Rankine were joined by more than 90 of South Australia’s business leaders for the official launch, which saw businesses pledging almost 2 000 volunteer hours for their employees to lend a helping hand in a range of South Australian community organisations.
The corporate volunteering program is being run in partnership with Heta Incorporated, whose skilled staff will match business volunteers with community organisations, offering them access to a whole new range of skill areas including planning, marketing and finance.
To find out more phone Heta Incorporated on (08) 8212 7771.
Progress made at Standing Committee of Attorneys-General
March 2008
I am pleased to report the SA-hosted Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) was a great success.
Significant progress was made with more than 30 matters of substantive legal reforms affecting all jurisdictions discussed. Some of the key areas considered included reform of personal property securities law, interstate fine enforcement, a judicial exchange program, indigenous justice, litigation funding, victims of crime and work towards a national register of suppression orders. SCAG also provides the opportunity for the National Justice Chief Executives to meet and agree on shared work programs and to discuss respective departmental priorities.
I would like to sincerely thank departmental and ministerial staff that worked tirelessly and collaboratively to ensure our SA-hosted SCAG meeting was such a resounding success.
If you are interested, detail is readily available about the SCAG meeting at www.scag.org.au.
Australian Crime and Violence Prevention Awards 2008
March 2008
Nominations for the 2008 Australian Crime and Violence Prevention (ACVP) Awards are now open.
Awards are sponsored by the heads of the Australian governments and the Ministerial Council for Police and Emergency Management - Police, as a joint Australian Government, state and territory initiative.
Awards recognise good practice in the prevention or reduction of violence and other types of crimes, encourage public initiatives and assist governments to identify and develop practical responses to crime and violence.
Monetary awards are made totalling $130 000 and are presented in a number of categories, including national winners and meritorious police projects.
Any government agency, non-for-profit organisation or individual person can be nominated for an award, including where working together in partnerships. to be eligible projects must have been fully operational before 1 February 2007 so that there is sufficient information and/or data available to assess the effectiveness of the project.
Anyone may nominate a project for an award in line with the specified criteria.
Full details regarding the ACVP Awards for 2008, along with information on how to make a nomination for an Award can be found at the following website www.aic.gov.au/acvpa/.
Nominations for 2008 Awards close on Monday 26 May 2008.
Enquiries to the South Australian representative on the ACVPA Board, Sergeant Sandy Morey, Christies Beach Police, on (08) 8392 9050 or via email to sandy.morey@police.sa.gov.au.
Innovative grants program a ‘win-win’ for university students and the community
March 2008
The Office for Volunteers’ Sustainable Online Community Engagement (SOCE) program, run in partnership with the University of South Australia (UniSA), has been delivering an innovative approach to promoting volunteering in South Australia.
Through the program, students from the University’s School of Communication work closely with community organisations to help them build a website, plan and manage events, produce promotional materials and promote their organisation and services.
This delivers a real ‘win-win’ for both the university and the community, providing students with real life experience as part of their education, while delivering capacity-building services to community organisations.
Since the program began in 2001, around 300 websites have been delivered to community organisations across South Australia.
For further information, visit www.communitywebs.org or contact the Office for Volunteers by phoning 8463 4490 or emailing ofv@saugov.sa.gov.au.
Rape reform laws introduced into Parliament
October 2007
The biggest changes to South Australia’s laws on rape and sexual assault in more than 30 years have been introduced into Parliament.
The Attorney-General introduced the Criminal Law Consolidation (Rape and Sexual Offences) Amendment Bill 2007 and the Statutes Amendment (Evidence and Procedure) Bill 2007 to Parliament. Together these Bills provide a clearer definition of sexual offences, including rape and the persistent sexual abuse of a child, and what constitutes consent.
These are landmark reforms that are the result of extensive consultation which began with the publication of a discussion paper by barrister Liesl Chapman in early 2006.
Importantly, the new laws will also ensure that the criminal justice system is more sensitive to the needs of victims of rape and sexual assault. For example, cases involving sexual offences against children will be given priority unless there are exceptional circumstances and victims of rape and sexual assault will be protected from cross-examination by the accused in person.
- Criminal Law Consolidation (Rape and Sexual Offences) Amendment Bill 2007
- Statutes Amendment (Evidence and Procedure) Bill 2007
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