Key activities of the Board

Introduction

The Board of Legal Aid NSW comprises 10 members, including the Chair and the CEO of Legal Aid NSW. The members of the Board determine our broad policies and strategic priorities, and they monitor risks.

Meetings of the Board

The Board held six meetings in 2023–24.

Engagement with the Board

The Board is advised by:

• the Legal Aid NSW Audit and Risk Committee (ARC), which advises on budgetary and internal audit matters, and other areas of organisational risk, and
• the Closing the Gap Project Board, which monitors and guides our strategies to meet the socio-economic outcome targets under Closing the Gap.

At each meeting, the Board is provided with financial statements, the minutes from ARC meetings and reports on complaints, safety, health and wellbeing, cybersecurity, organisational performance and achievements against the Strategic Plan.

Decisions of the Board 2023–24

29 August 2023

• Agreed to seek approval from the Attorney General to include an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander representative on the Board.
• Approved a statement reflecting support by Legal Aid NSW Board members for a “yes” vote in the referendum on the Aboriginal Voice to Parliament.
• Noted reforms to Legal Aid Review Committees.
• Noted details relating to the review of the National Legal Assistance Partnership Agreement 2020–25.

24 October 2023

• Approved the provision of extended legal assistance to clients seeking to vary conditions of parole or intensive corrections orders.
• Approved changes to the Family Law Property Policy to introduce new eligibility requirements for legal assistance in property settlements.
• Noted the high-level plan for the replacement of the grants management system (ATLAS).
• Noted a paper on managing workplace stress and mental health.

5 December 2023

• Noted a paper on the results of the People Matter Employee Survey.

20 February 2024

• Approved changes to civil law policies that amended eligibility for extended legal assistance and introduced early resolution assistance for conciliations and mediations.
• Approved amendments to the Civil Law Migration Policy that expanded eligibility for permanent protection visas and citizenship appeals for refugees and embedded a human rights framework.
• Approved the Legal Aid NSW Domestic and Family Violence and Elder Abuse Strategy 2024–2025.
• Approved the Legal Aid NSW Strategic Law Reform Agenda 2024–2025.
• Approved an increase to the fee scale for Commonwealth criminal law matters so that private lawyers are paid equal rates in Commonwealth and state criminal law matters.
• Approved changes to workplace health and safety reporting and risk management.
• Introduced changes to reporting on cyber security and business continuity planning.
• Noted papers on coercive control reforms, Family Law Act 1975 reforms and a presentation on the client portal.

30 April 2024

• Approved Legal Aid NSW’s participation in the Public Service Commission’s 12-month Board Observership Program and nominated a Board member to provide executive mentoring to the observer.
• Approved changes to Commonwealth family law private practitioner fees to allow increased preparation time for certain matters.
• Approved the evaluation and learning framework for the Legal Aid NSW Strategic Plan 2023–2028.
• Approved establishment of a sub-group of the Board to further review the cyber incident plan, respond to cyber incidents and participate in a cyber security test in May 2024.
• Noted a paper on managing stress and mental health in the Family Law Division.

25 June 2024

• Noted a paper on the establishment of a Far South Coast office and sought a revised paper for consideration and approval at the next meeting.
• Approved an increase to the base hourly fee for private solicitors in Commonwealth family and civil law matters from $150 to $165, commencing 1 July 2024, and a corresponding 10% increase to counsel fees and solicitor fees not based on the hourly rate.
• Approved year two of the Legal Aid NSW Strategic Plan for 2024–2025.
• Noted papers on the impact of new bail reforms, AI guidelines and the results of a client satisfaction report.