Virtual office switched on

LOCALS will not need to drive to Bunbury for basic legal appointments, following the unveiling of a virtual legal office at the Collie Family Centre.

The virtual Legal Aid WA office will allow for on-screen appointments with lawyers and support workers.

It will provide help with a range of family, civil and criminal law issues including family violence and restraining orders, parenting and property settlement, and protection and care.

Member for Collie-Preston Jodie Hanns and Legal Aid WA director of early intervention services Julie Jackson attended the unveiling.

Attorney general John Quigley attended via video link.

The Legal Aid WA program was extended to Collie following a review of the Collie courthouse last year.

During the review, the Department of Justice considered closing the courthouse and moving its services to Bunbury.

Mrs Hanns said her phone “rang hot” with objections to the proposed closure.

Mr Quigley said the closure would never have happened.

“This attorney general and this government will never sign off on the closure of the Collie courthouse,” he said.

He said that equal access to legal ser- vices is essential. “Why should you have to get a bus to Bunbury just for an initial meeting?” he said.

“People in the regions ought to have equal access to the law.”

Mrs Hanns thanked the attorney general for his dedication to providing equal legal access in WA, and said the virtual office was an important investment for Collie. Mr Quigley said face-to-face meetings were necessary for lawyers to provide legal services.

“You have to see how the client is reacting, and their distress levels,” he said.

Ms Jackson agreed that face-to-face legal advice builds trust and rapport.

“We’re really keen to give a face-to-face experience that is almost as if you’re sitting across a desk,” she said.

“Post COVID, we’ve all got used to talking online - the people of Collie won’t be put off when coming in to get legal aid.

“We think it’s really important for people to come into a space they know and see people they know, '' she said.

Since the launch of the first Legal Aid WA virtual office in July 2019, 19 virtual offices have been established in regional WA and outer-metropolitan areas.

Appointments can be booked by calling the Family Centre.