Up to 8000 Victorians a year will be effected if the proposed Baillieu Government’s legal fee increases are imposed, Shadow Attorney General, Martin Pakula said.
Mr Pakula said that Victorians will be priced out of vital justice services, as the cost of tenancy disputes, small claims and planning matters, before Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), could dramatically increase from March 2013.
According to Mr Pakula, through planned expansion of a user-pays system, “the Baillieu Government will take an extra $22 million from the pockets of Victorians.
“Premier Ted Baillieu and Attorney General Robert Clark need to explain to Victorians their justification behind hiking legal fees.”
If the Baillieu Government’s proposed VCAT fee increases are imposed, the cost of lodging small claims over faulty goods will increase from $38 to $160; planning application users will have to pay an additional $1000, up from $322; while for cases heard over more than one day, a new fee will be $1800 per day.
“If imposed, proposed fee increases would be higher than any other Australian state,” Martin Pakula said.
Both Shadow Attorney general Martin Pakula and The Consumer Action Law Centre have expressed their concerns that legal fee increases would discourage future VCAT applicants, seeking dispute resolution, from logging claims before the tribunal.
“The Baillieu Government came to office over two years ago with the promise to reduce the cost of living, yet Victorians have seen increases in fees and fines, car registration, license renewals as well as public transport fares,” Mr Pakula said.