Cover - Legal Aid Queensland

February 2007
Legal Aid Queensland
Head Note
INSIDE
>> Queensland’s
three key
Indigenous legal
service providers
sign landmark
agreement
>> New coordinators
working to increase
access to services
>> Breaking the cycle:
court program is
helping turn lives
around
>> Legal protection for
racial and religious
hate victims
>> Indigenous family
conferences
now available in
Yarrabah
>> Living after crime
Driven by justice
New CEO Jenny Hardy shares her vision
for Legal Aid Queensland

Contents
Cover — Making a difference 8
She’s Legal Aid Queensland’s first new CEO in 16 years and
the first woman to be appointed to the position. Meet Jenny
Hardy.
News 3
• Deputy Public Defender Tony Moynihan takes silk
• Legal Aid ‘connects cultures’ at Multicultural Festival 2006
• Practical help for Brisbane’s homeless
• New coordinators for access strategy units
Breaking the cycle 10
Lawyer Andrew Kennedy takes a look at a Brisbane Magistrates
Court program that is helping homeless people turn their lives
around.
Standing against racial and religious hatred 12
Anti-discrimination lawyer Yasmin Gunn explains the legal
protection available to victims of racial and religious hatred.
Legal help for veterans 13
Veterans who are trying to get disability pensions are being
urged to contact Legal Aid Queensland to see if they are
eligible for free legal help.
Landmark agreement signed 14
Indigenous Queenslanders will have better access to legal
services in 2007 thanks to a landmark agreement between
three of the state’s key legal service providers.
Living after crime 15
How do you begin to try and calculate the compensation a
victim of crime should receive?
Students warned to do their homework 16
Queenslanders are being urged to do their homework before
signing up for study, following complaints from students
about the ‘no refund’ policies of some private colleges.
Program helps resolve issues without court 17
Yarrabah community members can now choose to resolve their
family law issues without going to court thanks to the Legal
Aid Queensland Indigenous Family Conference Program.
Staff celebrate ‘200 years’ of service 19
Attorney-General Kerry Shine congratulated 15 Legal Aid
Queensland staff for a combined 200 years of service at a
ceremony held in December 2006.
From the
CEO’s desk...
This is my first edition of Head
Note as Legal Aid Queensland’s
chief executive officer. I am
proud to be in this position and
very grateful to my predecessor,
John Hodgins, for the fantastic
organisation he has left for me
to manage.
This edition features several
articles highlighting the calibre
of staff and people associated
with Legal Aid Queensland.
Congratulations to Tony Moynihan who was recently
appointed as Senior Counsel and becomes the second
Legal Aid Queensland barrister to be made SC in the
last 12 months. Having two in-house SCs is a unique
achievement in legal aid organisations throughout
Australia.
Congratulations also to Tony Rafter, SC, one of our
board members, who was recently appointed to the
district court bench. He has been a loyal supporter of
Legal Aid Queensland for many years and was a great
contributor during his time as a board member. Tony
spoke highly of Legal Aid Queensland in his speech to
the court at his swearing-in ceremony and of how proud
he is to have been associated with us.
This edition also highlights new programs and
directions for the organisation, including our
Indigenous Family Conference Program and the signing
of a memorandum of understanding with the Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services.
Legal Aid Queensland has long held a reputation for
being innovative and prepared to expand and improve
programs to enhance disadvantaged Queenslanders’
access to justice. This edition highlights several new
initiatives — the multicultural action plan that has
been developed by dedicated Legal Aid staff, the legal
assistance we are providing to Brisbane’s homeless
people and videoconferencing facilities to help rural
women.
I would like to thank all of the staff, preferred
suppliers, board members and those associated with
Legal Aid Queensland for making me feel very welcome
and for contributing to the success of the organisation.
Jenny Hardy
Keep up with the latest Legal Aid Queensland news online at
www.legalaid.qld.gov.au
Head Note produced by Legal Aid Queensland | GPO Box 2449 | Brisbane QLD 4001
Editor Miranda Greer | email: mgreer@legalaid.qld.gov.au | tel: 07 3238 3004
Circulation and distribution 1500 copies distributed throughout Queensland twice yearly
2 >> Head Note February 2007

Long-serving staff celebrate
‘200 years’ of work at Legal Aid
ATTORNEY-General Kerry Shine congratulated 15 Legal
Aid Queensland staff for a combined 200 years of
service at a ceremony held in December.
The 15 staff members recognised had reached 10, 20
or 30 years of service to Legal Aid during 2006.
Rockhampton Legal Aid grants officer Colleen
Johnson was the longest serving employee of the
group, notching up her 30th year with the organisation.
The long-serving staff came from each of Legal Aid’s
divisions — the Legal Practice, Grants and Corporate
Services.
Celebrating 20 years were:
• Sandy Seckold (human resources policy and
equity officer, Corporate Services)
• Terry Tan (database administrator, Corporate
Services)
• Wayne Black (senior solicitor, Toowoomba office)
Celebrating 10 years were:
• Helen Boreham (legal officer, Legal Practice)
• Murray Brown (Civil Law Legal Aid Scheme
coordinator, Grants)
• Peter Cousins (legal officer, Legal Practice)
• Nicky Davies (senior legal consultant, Legal
Practice)
• Yasmin Gunn (anti-discrimination officer, Legal
Practice)
• Enid Lunow (prison support officer, Civil Justice)
• Jennifer McArdle (family law consultant, Legal
Practice)
• Dung Nguyen (customer service officer, Corporate
Services)
• Elizabeth Shearer (senior legal consultant, Legal
Practice)
• Justin Stevenson (Criminal Injuries Compensation
Unit coordinator, Legal Practice)
• Rosemarie Van Haeften (senior organisational
services consultant, Corporate Services).
Attorney-General and
Minister for Justice Kerry
Shine congratulates legal
officer Peter Cousins on
reaching 10 years of service
to Legal Aid Queensland.
L–R: (back row) drug court team coordinator Penny Williams, drug court lawyer
David Kolbe, crime 3 team coordinator Michael Cridland, acting Ipswich office
senior solicitor Mark Schofield, (middle row) Clare Doherty, Legal Practice
manager Graham Quinlivan, (front row) Kate Schuetze, Peter Ryan, Sarah Spacie,
Tom Quinlivan, Patrick O’Brien, (seated) Lily Quinlivan.
Touch football
champs make
it two in a row
in Law Society
competition
THE Queensland Law Society’s Touch Football
Competition trophy will be spending another year
at 44 Herschel Street, after Legal Aid Queensland’s
champion team took out the contest for the second
year running.
Seventeen teams lined up on 23 and 24 September
2006 to take on the reigning champions, answering
the challenge laid down by Legal Aid’s players
following their 2005 win: “provide us with some
competition next time!”.
Despite being held to a 2–2 draw early in the day,
the Legal Aid team ultimately took out the competition
5–0.
The champions are already fine tuning their game
plan to ensure a ‘three-peat’ win in 2007.
>> Head Note February 2007
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