Victorian Policy

Civil Liberties and Judicial Fairness

Introduce the Equality of Arms Principle to ensure procedural fairness in courts and tribunals.
Provide funding for public interest and human rights litigation.
Strengthen legal support for self-represented litigants.
Undertake an independent review of advocates' immunity from civil suit, with a view to abolishing or substantially restricting its protection against professional negligence claims involving barristers and solicitors in Victorian proceedings, while ensuring appropriate safeguards against vexatious litigation and preserving the finality of judicial decisions.
Require all court correspondence and rulings to be traceable to a named officer or judge.
Establish a Public Justice Equality Scheme and an independent Public Interest Representation Office for qualifying individuals, farmers and small businesses facing substantially better-resourced parties.
Provide accredited legal panels, pro bono and publicly supported representation, with transparent eligibility and independent oversight.
Consider court powers to refer eligible matters for representation assessment and manage proceedings fairly pending that assessment.
Examine a requirement for financial institutions initiating eligible proceedings to contribute to independent representation for the opposing party, subject to legal and procedural safeguards.
Protect freedom of speech, conscience and religious practice, while setting out how these protections interact with existing legal rights.

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Civil Liberties and Judicial Fairness

Introduce the Equality of Arms Principle, extend the proposed Public Justice Equality Scheme, support self-represented litigants and protect freedom of expression and religion.

Crime and Community Safety

Reform bail laws and propose a 24-hour Bail Court, restore police powers, protect firefighters’ staffing and conditions, expand courts and Legal Aid, and support victims.

Consumer Protection and Financial Justice

Reform the accountability of Victorian regulators and EWOV, introduce independent routes to challenge their decisions and review abusive debt enforcement in state courts.

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