South Australian Current Acts South Australian Current Acts (1) The Commission
will—
(b)
provide, or arrange for the provision of, legal assistance in accordance with
this Act; and
(c)
determine the criteria under which the legal assistance is to be granted; and
(d)
conduct research with a view to ascertaining the needs of the community for
legal assistance, and the most effective means of meeting those needs; and
(e)
establish such offices and other facilities as the Commission considers
necessary or desirable; and
(f)
initiate and carry out educational programmes to promote an understanding by
the public (and especially those sections of the public who may have special
needs) of their rights, powers, privileges and duties under the laws of the
Commonwealth or the State; and
(g)
inform the public by advertisement or other means of the services provided by
the Commission, and the conditions upon which those services are provided; and
(h)
co-operate and make reciprocal arrangements with persons administering schemes
of legal assistance in other States and Territories of the Commonwealth or
elsewhere; and
(hb)
where it is practicable and appropriate to do so, make use of the services of
interpreters, marriage guidance counsellors and social workers for the benefit
of assisted persons; and
(i)
encourage and permit law students to participate, so far
as the Commission considers practicable and proper to do so, on a voluntary
basis and under professional supervision, in the provision of legal assistance
by the Commission; and
(j) make
grants to any person or body of persons carrying out work that will in the
opinion of the Commission advance the objects of this Act; and
(k)
perform such other functions as the Attorney-General may direct.
(2) In determining the
criteria under which legal assistance is to be granted under this Act,
the Commission must have regard to the principles—
(a) that
legal assistance should be granted where the public interest or the interests
of justice so require; and
(b)
that, subject to paragraph (a), legal assistance should not be granted
where the applicant could afford to pay in full for that legal assistance
without undue financial hardship.
(2a) The Commission
may from time to time, with the approval of the Attorney-General, co-operate
with any body established by the Commonwealth for the purpose of the
administration of legal aid and provide it with such statistical and other
information as the Commission thinks fit.
(3) For the purposes
of this Act, the Commission may acquire, deal with, and dispose of, real and
personal property.