Justice Award

Zita has spent much of her career to helping vulnerable women navigate the legal system, and has spearheaded a number of innovative programs to help women that would otherwise have been cut off from receiving critical legal assistance.

Some of the programs that Zita has been involved include an Indigenous Women’s Program, which delivers legal services to more than 250 Aboriginal women each year, the first Australian joint legal and sexual assault service delivery model, and the Temporary Visa Holders Experiencing Violence Pilot.

In 2019 Zita launched an Australian-first app called “Ask Maria” which allows women from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to access important family safety and legal information in nine different languages. Users can even listen to the information in their own language if they are not able to read.

Graham Russell

Graham Russell has been at the Legal Services Commission (LSC) for an incredible 46 years and has championed the legal rights of children and families throughout his career.

Graham was the Manager of the LSC’s Family Law unit for 28 years, and throughout his tenure, has established a number of programs, including the Child Support specialist unit, Do Your own Divorce classes, the Independent Children’s Lawyer program, Family Dispute Resolution program, the Family Advocacy and Support Service, and the Cross Examination Scheme.

All of these programs have extended the reach of legal aid to many people who would not otherwise have been assisted with their family law disputes.

In more recent times, Graham has been a key member of the LSC’s policy team, providing practical and well-informed advice to the leadership on legal policy and matters relevant to South Australia and nationally.

Greg Mead SC

Like Graham Russell, Greg has spent almost his entire career at the Legal Services Commission and has made an immense contribution since starting out as a legal officer in the Criminal Practice Division.

In 1993, Greg set up a free after-hours custody service, which is run by volunteers and enables people charged with serious criminal offences navigate their legal rights, access legal advice, and receive support for special needs. This service still operates today.

In 2005, Greg was appointed as the Legal Services Commission’s Chief Counsel and his expertise was recognised when he was appointed Senior Counsel in 2010.

Greg has been one of the State’s key figures in ensuring that people going through the criminal justice system can access their legal rights. He has been instrumental in the introduction of the legal practitioner panels system, developing merit testing for legal aid applications, and protecting confidentiality and legal professional privilege. Greg understands more than most that a justice system operating within a democratic society can only function if even those facing the most horrendous charges receive a fair hearing and capable legal representation. Greg often acts for clients who have few redeeming features, but treats everyone with the same level of respect and expertise. He has a long list of clients who reach out to him at the lowest point in their lives.

Greg carries his commitment to disadvantaged people into his private life through his generous support of the homeless.

Mark Douglas has worked tirelessly throughout his career to promote equality and diversity in the profession and improve access to justice in South Australia. 

Mark is the inaugural Member of the Society’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, which was established in May 2016 and has been Chair of the Committee since 1 January 2021. Mark has been a key driver of the Society’s advocacy to increase accessibility to the courts, including to address restricted accessibility to courtrooms 1 and 2 for individuals with physical disabilities including wheelchair users. As a result of this advocacy, the Courts Administration Authority has considered improvements to the court facilities, including to address accessibility for visually and hearing impaired practitioners and citizens. 

Mark has demonstrated an incredible preparedness to publicly and candidly discuss his lived experience as a legal practitioner with a disability and the work he has done to overcome the challenges he has faced. 

Mark also shared his personal experiences as a practitioner working with a significant visual impairment, including in a panel presentation for the 2022 Australian Bar Association’s National Conference and as a speaker at the Society's inaugural Disability Conference in June 2022. He also frequently speaks to visually impaired legal practitioners around Australia to offer guidance and assistance with the specific practical challenges of practising the law with significant sight difficulties.

Mark has also been a committed, accessible mentor to junior practitioners, particularly female barristers, and a vocal supporter of the work of the Women Lawyers' Association and Women at the Bar Committee. He was a presenter of the Society's Changing Workplace Culture CPD Workshop throughout 2021, driving important cultural change to address bullying and harassment in the profession.

The Women's Domestic Violence Court Assistance Service helps women who have be exposed to domestic violence navigate the justice system. They provide advice about intervention orders and tenancy disputes, and have guided thousands of clients through the process, including throughout the pandemic.

The support and guidance provided by the staff of the Service greatly assists people through difficult circumstances. One particularly moving note from a client read: "Thank you for giving us our freedom and safety back. My kids are now growing up in a home free of DV abuse because of your help."

Alan Lindsay has for over 20 years worked tirelessly to assist Indigenous members of our community, in particular Indigenous Law Students. He’s done so without ever seeking any acknowledgement, driven by a passion to address Indigenous disadvantage. 

Alan has been a member of the Society’s Aboriginal Issues Committee of the Law Society (or its predecessors) for over 20 years.  He has also been a member of the Society’s Justice Access Committee, the Civil Litigation Committee (from 2003 to 2012 including as Chair of the Committee from 2009 to 2012); and is an inaugural Member of the Reconciliation Action Committee.  He has represented the Society on the Joint Rules Advisory Council and the Chief Justice’s Procedure Executive Committee.  

In 2005, in recognition of difficulties being encountered by Indigenous law students in navigating their way into the profession, Alan started a mentoring program for Indigenous law students at both Adelaide University and Flinders University; since that time UniSA has opened its Law School and its students are also participants in the mentoring scheme.

Currently there are 42 students participating in the program and over the 13 years that the program has been running approximately 60 students have benefited from it, with over 30 participants having graduated in law.   
In 2011 after tireless efforts by Alan and other members of the Aboriginal Issues Committee, TAFE SA commenced offering a Certificate IV course in Legal Studies to Indigenous students at its Port Augusta campus. This is an alternate pathway to our Law Schools.

The success of the mentoring program, as shown by the increased numbers of Indigenous students completing law degrees is due in very large part to the work that Alan does, both on the Committee and “behind the scenes”. He has nurtured strong personal relationships with all stakeholders.

Alan has built the Management Committee that runs the Indigenous Law Students’ Mentoring Program, with representatives from the academic staff at each University, students from each University, the wider profession and the judiciary.  The committee has been chaired by Their Honours Justice Sulan, Bampton and Hinton since its inception.  Alan hosts the meetings, takes the minutes and organises the agenda.  He has recruited mentors and the consultant who works to “match” students to mentors. He is now guiding work in the area of assisting students in the program to obtain clerkships and internships to ready them for life in the profession.  

Justice Sulan, who chaired the mentoring Committee for over 10 years has said that without Alan’s tireless work and passion for it the program would not exist or continue; or have achieved the success it has done. 

Alan is the epitome of what this award stands for.  In an exceptional way, he has provided outstanding assistance to the benefit of socially and economically disadvantaged people.

Chris Charles is a quiet yet indomitable spirit who has been a passionate legal advocate for the vulnerable for 40 years.  

Presently, Chris is Chair of the Society’s Aboriginal Issues Committee (since 1998) and a Member of the Human Rights and Reconciliation Action Committees. 

His role as senior counsel for the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (SA) has seen him acting for hundreds of Indigenous defendants in addition to acting for Yatala residents in the SA Licensing Court and supporting Aboriginal communities in their dealings with police. 

Chris’s other professional achievements include as acting as a key information source for the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody in the 1980s, giving evidence in the Petrol Sniffers Inquests of 2002 and 2005, and in the Sleeping Rough Inquest of 2012, and most recently, having given evidence to the Select Committee on the Administration of South Australia’s Prisons.  

The words that come to mind that describe Chris are humble, heartfelt, selfless, consistent.  

Chris’s work with indigenous clients and in continually bringing the unacceptably high rate of indigenous incarceration and the awful consequences of the non-adoption of the recommendations to prevent deaths in custody, along with other issues relating to indigenous people to the forefront is simply outstanding.

The WWCSA received this award for their outstanding dedication to improving access to justice for many of the most socially and economically disadvantaged workers in South Australia.  Volunteers at the Centre provide support and legal assistance to women facing difficulties in the workplace.  

Established in 1979, the Women’s Working Centre SA is a community based, not-for-profit, organisation that provides a free and confidential service for all women in relation to issues surrounding equality in the workplace.  The Centre is managed by a committee of dedicated volunteers.

The Women’s Working Centre advocate on behalf of women including (but not limited to) women from a range of cultures and backgrounds, women who identify with a disability and women who work in precarious and/or low status employment. 

The Centre is dedicated to increasing access to justice for the most vulnerable and low paid workers in the community by providing a representative voice.  It is common for their work to involve representing clients in conciliation conferences in the SA Industrial Relations Commission, Fair Work Australia, the Australian Human Rights Commission (Federal) and the Equal Opportunity Commission.

The Centre contributes to a range of community, trade union, government and departmental committees which assists in advocating for equality in women's standing in the community and society.  It also engages in education, training and awareness programmes, law reform and other activities to improve access to justice for disadvantaged and/or unsupported individuals. 

The Centre has been a long-time advocate for equal work for equal pay which directly impacts upon women's economic and social disadvantage in society.  An example of this is their Involvement in the Community Sector Equal Remuneration Campaign, founded by the Australian Services Union, to promote successful work value pay equity. 

As testament to their humanitarian values, the WWCSA also assisted in the setup of a centre for vulnerable women workers in Timor-Leste.  This was the first dedicated service for women to better access their employment rights and combat gender violence in the workplace in Timor-Leste.  They also conducted the first piece of research in SA on workplace bullying, published in 1998.

Additionally, the WWCSA were successful in advocating for the recognition of domestic family violence as a workplace issue, through the White Ribbon Workplace Accreditation Program.

Selvie Demiri

Selvie Demiri received the Justice Award (posthumously) for her admirable dedication to improving access to justice for disadvantaged individuals, particularly to those with disabilities.

Selvie spent much of her legal career working as a criminal defence barrister and solicitor for the Legal Service Commission, providing access to justice for disadvantaged people. Much of her work was with clients who had been awarded legal aid, however, in many cases the work was on a pro-bono basis.

As a young child, Selvie was diagnosed with a visual disability and became blind in both eyes. Despite the challenges her disability presented, Selvie completed her Bachelor of Laws, gained admission and went on to become an exceptional lawyer. Setbacks never did deter Selvie from her dream of becoming a solicitor and she was able to prove her disability did not impede her legal practice. She was able to carry out all of the ordinary duties (plus more) of a legal practitioner with exceptional skill, passion and application. Selvie showed the wider community that persons with a disability can achieve professional qualifications and work in their chosen field to a high standard.

As testament to her humanitarian values, Selvie was instrumental in the development of the Legal Services Commission submission to Government on the 2014 Disability Action Plan. She addressed the importance of greater acknowledgment of the breadth of issues applicable to persons with a disability in the justice system. Selvie also presented a very significant advocacy position on a matter of public interest based on the judicial system exercising flexibility in accommodating the vicissitudes of individual circumstances.

Amanda Tsoundarou

Amanda Tsoundarou received the Justice Award for her outstanding compassionate approach and work regarding legal education and access to justice for those living in remote and indigenous communities throughout South Australia.  She is currently an advocate and outreach worker for the Welfare Rights Centre (SA).

Amanda has been an essential part in the implementation of a program to bring access to justice to individuals living in the Apara-Makiri-Punti-Alkara Indigenous Protected Area. Amanda was proactive in her approach and approached numerous community organisations and government bodies to assist in developing the legal assistance and education program.

The Program focused on educating indigenous communities on their legal rights regarding social security and also focused on building confidence and trust in the legal system and empowering the community to promote greater access to justice. The majority of her work on this program has been outside of her responsibilities and requirements as an advocate at the Welfare Rights Centre (WRC).

As a result of Amanda’s pioneering work, a Regional and Rural Outreach Program was incorporated into WRC’s Strategic Directions policy.

The 2014 Justice Award was presented to Jennifer Corkhill for her tireless and passionate advocacy for the legal rights of disadvantaged people. 

Ms Corkhill’s work, particularly for disabled and mentally ill people, is not glamorous or high-profile, but her constant voice has made a huge difference for the disempowered and vulnerable in our community who are caught up in the legal system.  

Her work involves many aspects of the law including representing people with a mental illness at a Tribunal and Appeal level.  The work is demanding and is not well remunerated.  She is motivated purely by a desire to provide access to justice for those unable to represent themselves.  She has acted pro bono or at a discounted rate for her many disadvantaged clients throughout her practice, which is devoted to assisting such people in asserting their rights and entitlements.

Ms Corkhill had also been a great contributor on behalf of Committees of the Law Society including the Women Lawyers and Justice Access Committees, and had been responsible for thorough, considered and effective written submissions on disability justice issues and in meeting with Authorities in the area.  For example, she was involved in drafting the Client Capacity Guidelines in collaboration with Jonathan Wells QC and Margaret Castles, which are considered by some to be the best such Guidelines in the country.

Jennifer has an innate ability to discern injustice immediately and then takes the action she can to eliminate it where possible. 

The Honourable Robyn Layton AO QC

The Honourable Dr Robyn Layton AO QC was announced as a joint winner, with Mr Nicholas Linke, of the 2013 Justice Award.  Ms Layton won the award for a myriad of activities related to promoting access to justice in South Australia and internationally. During her 40-year legal career, she had maintained a commitment to advancing and protecting the rights of the disadvantaged. She was one of SA’s highest profile human rights activists and a powerful advocate for indigenous, refugee and children’s rights.  Her work was recognised in her award of Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia, AO – 26 January 2012, for “distinguished service to the law and to the judiciary, particularly through the Supreme Court of South Australia, as an advocate for Indigenous, refugee and children's rights, and to the community.”

She had been named South Australian of the Year in 2012, largely for her social justice work.

Ms Layton had been in turn a solicitor, a barrister, a judge in the Industrial Court of South Australia, a Deputy President of the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal and then prior to September 2010, a Judge of the Supreme Court of South Australia.

Her strong connection with Aboriginal issues began in the late 1960s when she commenced pro bono legal work for Aboriginal people charged prior to the setting up of the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement (ALRM). She was later appointed by the Commonwealth to be the solicitor for the Central Aboriginal Land Rights team from 1972-1974, which lead to the establishment of the Central Aboriginal Land Council. She later continued her work by acting for either the ALRM or their clients. Ms Layton continued to support Aboriginal people through her membership of the Justice Aboriginal Awareness Committee SA, the Community Protection Panel of the Social Inclusion Unit, and the Justice Reinvestment Working Group.  Ms Layton was presently Co-Chair of Reconciliation South Australia and a member of an Advisory Panel which had recommended an amendment to the SA Constitution to recognise Aboriginal people. She regularly gave presentations to groups about the need to amend the Federal constitution, being significantly involved with the “Recognise” education campaign.

Ms Layton had been the Chair of the Child Protection in South Australia Review in the early 2000s, a patron of the Migrant Resource Centre and International Women’s Day Committee, and a Member of the National Advisory Group of the National Children’s and Youth Law Centre.  She had represented many Aboriginal people, been involved in many Royal Commissions concerning human rights issues, represented women alleging discrimination and acted for refugees.

At the international level, Ms Layton had been a member and later the Chair of the Committee of Experts for the UN International Labour Office in Geneva for 15 years, and a Commissioner on the Commission of Inquiry into Forced Labour in Myanmar. Ms Layton had published extensively on topics relating to judicial and tribunal practice, health and ethics, and international labour standards and human rights.  She had provided training and workshops on human rights and international labour standards for judges, lawyers, trade unionists, as well as working on poverty reduction programmes for women in the Philippines, Cambodia and Kazakhstan.

Nicholas Linke

Nicholas Linke was awarded the 2013 Justice Award, jointly with the Honourable Robyn Layton AO QC. At this time, Mr Linke had been instrumental in the foundation and development of pro bono provider JusticeNet SA, and had regularly taken on challenging pro bono cases. He had been the Chair of the Society’s Justice Access Committee from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2012.

Mr Linke had provided pro bono work at more than 50 non-profit organisations, including Catherine House, assisting the homeless or those who were at risk of homelessness.

He also provided pro bono legal services to emerging artists and start-up arts organisations, such as SALA and Creative Partnerships Australia, and was on the Board of many of these organisations. Mr Linke had recently been awarded the National Arts Community Pro Bono Award by the Arts Law Centre Australia.  

Barry Jennings QC won the 2012 Justice Award for his active pro bono work for the Legal Services Commission (LSC) after his retirement from the bench.  His volunteer work as a mentor and educational resource for the staff of the LSC assisted it in responding to the socially and economically disadvantaged people in South Australia who called upon it to assist them in legal matters.  Mr Jennings had been Chief Counsel at the LSC in the mid-1980s.  He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law and was regarded as one of the best criminal barristers of his time.

In 2005 Mr Jennings had been appointed as a Judge of the District Court.  He had then become a Judge of the Youth Court in 2006, where he had remained until he retired at the age of 60.

Mr Jennings made himself available to anyone at the LSC who wanted to discuss a legal problem, with a particular emphasis on mentoring young advocates.  In 2010 he had been heavily involved in the production of the LSC’s revised Duty Solicitor’s Handbook.    
In 2012 Mr Jennings had been appointed to the SA Board of White Lion, a charity that assists youth who at high risk of falling into a life of crime via the provision of mentoring, support and employment prospects.

Mr Joshua Simons was awarded the 2011 Justice Award for his work for marginalised and homeless people and those at risk.

Despite his demanding schedule as a corporate, competition and intellectual property Partner at Adelaide law firm, Minter Ellison, it was Mr Simon’s vision and hard work that led to the establishment in Adelaide in July 2006 of the Housing Legal Clinic for marginalised and homeless people.  Subsequently a further six such clinics, including a regional legal clinic service had been established.

One of Mr Simons’ proudest achievements had been putting together a campaign aimed at encouraging the homeless to enrol to vote in the November 2007 Federal election.  He had also worked with Homelessness SA to help lobby the State Government to amend its electoral Laws to allow homeless people to register to vote, which they ultimately did in October 2009.  

In the start-up phase of the Housing Legal Clinic, Mr Simons reviewed and developed the memorandum of understanding that all participating Housing Legal Clinics now operated under.  He developed and ran the initial induction program and rallied to get other law firms involved.

Added to this was Mr Simons’ work with the Magdalene Centre and the Financial Planners Association to establish a pro bono financial advisory clinic which had operated since 2008 to provide simple budgeting and financial advice to the homeless and those at risk of homelessness. 

Stephen Kenny received the 2010 Justice Award in recognition of his lifelong commitment to ensuring access to justice for marginalised and disadvantaged people around the world, including from minority groups and Aboriginal people.

Mr Kenny was well known internationally for his assistance to David Hicks, which was largely on a pro bono basis, over three years.  In 2002 he had found American lawyers who were willing to sue President Bush and to run the matter to the Supreme Court of the United States.  The case, known as Rasul v Bush 542 US 466 (2004) rather than Hicks v Bush due to concerns of American lawyers, led to the finding that Guantanamo Bay was within the jurisdiction of the US courts.

Mr Kenny’s work changed the perceptions in Australia of Guantanamo Bay.  His effectiveness in acting for David Hicks was underscored by the Howard Government having advised Mr Hicks’s American representatives that it would not negotiate Mr Hicks’s return to Australia whilst Mr Kenny was engaged as the Australian lawyer.

Mr Kenny had also acted for

• Robert Langdon, a South Australian who had been on death row in Afghanistan.  Mr Langdon had been spared the death penalty for murder in Afghanistan, having been sentenced instead to 20 years' imprisonment.
• Ahmed Rafiq, from Adelaide, an Australian citizen and former refugee from Iraq
• Tallal Audrey from Sydney, who had been imprisoned in Kuwait on terrorism charges
• Mahmoud Jamal from New South Wales, who had been arrested in Northern Iraq on suspicion of being an insurgent
• Foreign Prisoner Support Services, assisting Australians imprisoned in various other countries around the world.   

Mr Kenny had commenced practice over thirty years previously with the Northern Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service and since then had acted for many Aboriginal people in many capacities.  He acted for three of the largest Native Title claim groups in SA with a policy of providing free legal advice to all members.  For many years he travelled to the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara lands to ensure the people there were able to make criminal injuries compensation claims and receive appropriate compensation.

Jonathan Wells QC was the winner of the 2009 Justice Award. 
Mr Wells had been the driving force behind the establishment of JusticeNetSA, a Public Interest Law Clearing House that receives, assesses and distributes requests for pro bono legal assistance, which was launched on 2 July 2009.

The establishment of JusticeNet had been a long, personal struggle for Mr Wells over a period of three years and had been achieved as a result of his passion and energy.  Mr Wells’ focus was on plugging the gap for those in the community who were not able to afford legal services but did not qualify for legal aid.  He remained undaunted by major obstacles such as where the money would come from and where the service could be housed cheaply.  Mr Wells had been supported by a strong Committee but his strength and support had been instrumental to the success of the project.

Mr Wells remained a long standing proponent and driving force for the establishment of a Legal Reform Commission.   He had a long record of pro bono work for members of the public and the Law Society.   He had also been a strong contributor to the development of submissions, including the proposal for an Office of Public Integrity.

Mr Wells’ passion for helping those in the community less advantaged than others had always been a hallmark of his legal practice.  He had acted pro bono for countless people during his career to date. 

The 2008 Justice Award was awarded posthumously to Mr David Alcock.

Mr Alcock had been a long time employee of the Legal Services Commission (LSC).  He had practised solely in the Youth Court jurisdiction where he had been held in enormous respect by staff, fellow practitioners and judicial officers.  He would give freely of his time to assist practitioners who were not familiar with the workings of the court’s jurisdiction.  Most of his clients were underprivileged and many came from completely dysfunctional backgrounds.

Mr Alcock had taken a position at the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement in 1979 and had soon after become the ALRM’s permanent Children’s Court solicitor.  He had been enticed to move to the Legal Services Commission in 1990.  Despite a desire by others to employ his talents in the adult jurisdiction, he inevitably gravitated back to the Youth Court where he spent a total of about 26 years, the longest serving professional person in the criminal jurisdiction of that court.  As the senior lawyer at the Youth Court, Mr Alcock became a mentor to many younger lawyers as they came through that jurisdiction.  He was generous with good counsel and assistance for legal colleagues from the LSC, the ALRM and private practice.  He held the respect of the judiciary and of the prosecuting authorities.

As a lawyer he was meticulous.  His files were a byword in efficiency.  His professional service to his clients endured through sometimes multiple court appearances over periods of years.

The 2007 Justice Award was presented to Mr Paul Boylan.

Mr Boylan had demonstrated a lifelong passion for selflessly helping people – in particular socially and economically disadvantaged people.  This was particularly demonstrated by his work for refugees.

Whilst having practised in country South Australia for over thirty years, Mr Boylan had given his time freely to the Law Society, as both a Council representative and am enduring Chair of the Country Lawyers Committee.  He given many young practitioners the very best of starts to their professional careers, as employees in his firm.  He had always been a strong advocate for better access to the courts for those residing in regional and remote areas of South Australia.  Mr Boylan had played a significant role in the establishment and continued operation of the Westside Community Lawyers in Port Pirie for the previous five years, including as a mentor to the staff of the service. 

Mr Boylan’s most notable contribution was his work with the refugees who were held at Woomera Detention Centre.  He was instrumental in the establishment of the Woomera Lawyers’ Group, thereby enabling refugees to have access to legal representation.  He was the first independent lawyer to walk into the Woomera Detention Centre on, 1 December 2000.  He and his staff, and at times his family, gave many hours of their time in providing legal assistance and social support to this disadvantaged group.  Giving one’s professional time at no charge is significant in itself but he also clocked up thousands of kilometres in his car, and charged fares incurred to reunite refugees to his personal credit card.  He also provided his home as a place for people to stay on those trips from Adelaide to Woomera and return, until Woomera was closed on 17 May 2003.

During this time, Mr Boylan had played a significant role in the media, advocating for the government to honour its obligations under the various human rights conventions.  After Woomera closed he continued to provide inspiration to other lawyers who continued the fight for just outcomes for people locked up in detention centres, including having access to the courts in South Australia in particular.

The 2006 Justice Award was awarded to Ms Claire O’Connor. 

Ms O’Connor won the Award for her long term commitment to, and outstanding work in helping socially and economically disadvantaged people.  Her work demonstrated her passion for righting wrongs that society had perpetrated on the disadvantaged.

Having always worked in areas of public interest and social justice, Ms O’Connor used her legal skills to advance the legal needs of those who were not heard in the community:

• In 1983 she was involved in the protest to save the Franklin and Lower Gordon rivers, working as a volunteer lawyer.  She was arrested in one of the protests.

• 1985-86 she worked in London in a Community Legal Centre as a case worker for predominantly West Indian youths in the area

• From 1986 until 1988 she worked at the Aboriginal Legal Rights Movement where she was involved in the Royal Commission into Aboriginal deaths in custody, acting as solicitor for many of the families and as counsel for the Aboriginal prisoners

• She had taken part in many inquiries into access to justice, in particular the Evatt Inquiry into Gender and the Law and more recently a Senate Inquiry into Immigration Detention

• She had been involved in legal education since the 1980’s, teaching in the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, in particular in criminal law and advocacy 

• She had also served voluntarily on the South Australian Council of Social Services Justice Committee, the Gamblers’ Rehabilitation Fund, the Youth Training Centre Review Board, had been a worksite representative for the Public Sector Association, was involved in the management committee of the City Child Care Centre, was a committee member of Friends of Palestine, was involved in refugee work and was a member of the South Australian Council for Civil Liberties.

• Some of the significant human rights cases that Ms O’Connor had been involved in had been as a result of her refugee work – cases involving the status of stateless Palestinians in Australia, the breach of the duty of care for mentally ill detainees in Baxter, Cornelia Rau and the Palmer Inquiry.

Mr Gordon Barrett QC was awarded the 2005 Justice Award for his pro bono work for vulnerable people, in particular, refugees.  He had sought to ensure that refugees were accorded due process and professional advocacy in their journey through our justice system.

Mr Barrett was the inaugural Chairman of the Refugee Advocacy Service of South Australia. He was known throughout the community as a humanitarian who worked tirelessly to promote access to justice for socially and economically disadvantaged people in South Australia.  He was part of an early group of barristers and solicitors who provided pro bono assistance to refugees at the Woomera Immigration Detention Centre.  Following his first visit to Woomera, he reported to a fellow practitioner that he had discovered there the largest unmet need for legal assistance that he had ever encountered.

He was the principal instigator and the founding Chairperson of the Refugee Advocacy Service in South Australia (RASSA).  This organisation, formed as a community legal service in February 2002 provided a free legal service in cases conducted in the Federal Court, Full Federal Court and the High Court, based on pro bono work by solicitors, students and barristers, to immigration detainees, not only from Woomera and subsequently Baxter in South Australia, but also from interstate immigration Detention Centres.

RASSA did not receive any Government funding but existed only via donations and grants from charitable institutions.  Members of the Board were frequently involved in fund-raising activities as well as legal work.  Victories were hard fought in a particularly complicated field of law and often cases were emotionally draining, especially when dealing with families and children.  Mr Barrett had been particularly generous with his time, conducting cases himself and providing assistance to other RASSA counsel in the preparation of their arguments.  His leadership had inspired others to do ‘their bit’.

The inaugural Justice Award was presented to His Honour Judge Brian Withers for his long term commitment and tireless work for the provision of access to justice.

Prior to his appointment as a Master of the Supreme Court and a Judge of the District Court in November 2004, Judge Withers had been very actively involved in access to justice issues at both State and Federal levels for some 30 years.

Judge Withers had been awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Society in 1997 in acknowledgement of his contribution to the legal profession and especially for his contribution to the justice system through his involvement with Society and Law Council Committees and Boards.

Judge Withers had chaired the Society’s Justice Access Committee for 11 years from 1989 to 1998.  For the 13 years prior to his appointment to the bench, he was involved with the Law Council of Australia’s Access to Justice Committee, first as a member and then as Chairman.

In 1997 Judge Withers was appointed Chairman of the Legal Services Commission of South Australia and held the position until November 2004.

Other achievements included an instrumental role in setting up a national summit on legal aid funding held at Parliament House, Canberra in 1996.  In February 2004, Judge Withers had participated in the establishment of a research project entitled “Erosion of Legal Representation in the Australian Justice System”.