NSW: Lawyers get no sympathy from premier

AAP General News (Australia)
12-05-2003
NSW: Lawyers get no sympathy from premier

SYDNEY, Dec 5 AAP - Lawyers losing their jobs because of the NSW government's clampdown
on public liability claims have received little sympathy from Premier Bob Carr.

The government's tort law reforms have reportedly forced the closure of a whole floor
of lawyers at one Sydney firm.

And NSW Bar Association president Ian Harrison has warned that up to a third of barristers
could lose their jobs.

But the premier today gave the lawyers short shrift, saying he would rather see money
going to workers than lining legal eagles' pockets.

"Australia would have been put out of work if we hadn't reformed the tort laws and
reined in this culture of litigation in NSW," he said.

"There would have been thousands of people put out of work all over the place if we
hadn't got tough with all this excessive litigation that was lining the pockets of lawyers,
but closing down community events and wrecking the workers' compensation system.

"The fact is there'll be fewer jobs for lawyers as a result but with their education
they're well placed to go into retraining.

"In this modern day and age a lot of workers have had to go and be retrained - lawyers
are not a protected species."

AAP jh/smb/sco/de

KEYWORD: LAWYERS LEAD

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