WA law reform applauded

Dean of Law, Professor Ralph Simmonds has recently had very positive feedback about the work of Law Reform Commission (WA) he chairs.

"We wanted to look at the work of the Commission critically to ensure it was running efficiently," said Professor Simmonds.

"In 1996, we restructured the Commission to reduce running costs, so more money could be spent on research. Now we manage law reform work in a more supervisory manner and hire consultants who are experts in particular fields.

"We followed up with a survey of the fairness and efficiency of the entire legal system, and also published a prioritised list of outstanding law reform issues in WA that emerged from the thirty years of Law Reform Commission work in the state.

"Our restructuring and recent work have close parallels with the reform of the Canadian legal system at a Federal level in that country."

Professor Simmonds and his team presented their efforts at the Australasian Law Reform Agencies Conference in Darwin recently, and were very well received by agencies from across the region as well as from further afield.

"Our recent research will hopefully form the basis for the legislative agenda," said Professor Simmonds.

Next on the agenda is a project on Aboriginal customary law in Western Australia.