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The web site is still at the trial stage. It will be interesting to see not only the quantity
but also the quality of responses generated. The QLRC is unaware of any
submissions to it on its current reference having been generated by this website but it
is perhaps just a matter of time before eConsultation becomes if not the norm, a
standard method of seeking views and submissions from members of the public.
4. Conclusion eLaw Reform?
According to Franz Kafka, Roscoe Pound and Charles Dickens, the law is something
to which people want access, but to which they are denied or sense they are denied. It
must be the concern of providers of law and of policy makers to ensure that all who
want and need access to the law and to law reform are provided it, within the
limitations of the system. The Queensland experience shows that seeking relevant
public involvement in the law reform process has led to the production of better
reports, more useful to parliament and to the general public, and sent to the legislature
with stronger community awareness and support. Law Reform Commissions must,
however, keep themselves and their processes under the same kind of rigorous review
that we apply to our references. We must be prepared to introduce the innovative
solutions to our consultation practices that we apply to other areas of law reform: we
are living at a time in which radical new means of communication are being
introduced in all areas of public life, and we must remain open to any initiatives that
can improve access to justice and the process of law reform.
May I suggest that this as a topic for discussion in this session of the conference.