President’s Message

Covid still looms large, but other key issues should not be forgotten

MICHAEL ESPOSITO, EDITOR

Talk about a challenging start to the year! While many of us were able to get away over Christmas and see loved ones after months of separation, a number of people spent Christmas in isolation, recovering from Covid or trying to avoid it.

Somewhat encouragingly, the Omicron wave appears to be on a downward trend, and although this sinister disease may have more surprises in store, one can be forgiven for indulging in some cautious optimism that the worst is behind us.

New Law Society Justin Stewart-Rattray has spoken about wanting to help the legal profession bounce back from a couple of tough years due to the pandemic, and really build an atmosphere of camaraderie and support among the profession which will hopefully be facilitated by a return to more face-to-face gatherings.

Covid has of course been the primary focus of Governments, and the upcoming State election on 19 March is shaping up to be a referendum on how the incumbent party managed Covid.

One’s view on how the Government handled the pandemic will naturally be coloured by how they were personally affected, but from the Society’s view, it also highlighted some gaps in our emergency response legislation that need addressing.

The Society has highlighted this issue in its State Election submission sent to all SA political parties. But while Covid has commandeered much of the focus, the Society has urged parliament not to forget about other pressing legal issues, some of them long-standing, such as court and legal aid resourcing, and other issues such as privacy protection and addressing protracted building disputes

The Society asked all parties, as well as independents, to respond to the submission, and those responses are published in full in this edition. This edition features several articles from practitioners that examine some of the Society's election issues and explain why those key asks are so important..

The Society thanks party representatives and independents for taking the time to provide considered responses to the Society’s key election issues.

We encourage you to read what our parliamentarians have to say about how they plan to address important legal issues in this State, and judge for yourself how their responses stack up. B

IN THIS ISSUE

DEATH OF DR DUNCAN

50 years since the tragedy that sparked gay law reform

LORNA JANE COVID CLAIMS

Retailer reprimanded for misleading marketing

FROZEN ASSETS

High Court confi rms powers to make global freezing orders