Welfare Law and the Court System

Running Head: Welfare Law and the Court System
Introduction to Welfare Law
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Welfare Law and the Court System 2
Report on Kogarah Local Court
Introduction
Australian welfare system involves social protection as well as income support that is
under the administration of the Commonwealth Government. Quite notable in the system are the
income tax system concessions, the public housing programs and policies, the subsidies and
childcare assistance, as well as concessions available for self-funded retirees which also extend
to expenses incurred on medication (Cunneen & White, 2011, p. 9).
This government social protection program is offered through collaboration with non-
state actors and community voluntary programs which benefit persons living with disability. The
government has also established a national insurance system which covers every person and
citizen of Australia; a responsibility that is shared between state governments and the Australian
national government.
Main features of the Australian Welfare System
There exist welfare policies in Australia where which assist people when they are in
economic need. These policies and programs are commonly referred to as public assistance
programs. These public assistance funds are distributed by way of income transfer. Money is
deducted from wealthy citizens by means of taxation and the taxes are distributed to individuals
with low or no income at all. The government spends up to $158.6 billion on social welfare and
security. This is an estimate of the amount that the government spends on the old who no longer
go to work, those who are unemployed, the ill as well as persons on low income (Healy &
Oltedal, 2010, p. 67). The Australian Welfare System majors in;
1) Financial assistance to the ill, the old and persons who are low income earners,
2) Supervision of young people and the youth under the justice supervision system,

Welfare Law and the Court System 3
3) Assisting victims of domestic violence especially the women and children,
4) Encouraging and the provision of education services and facilities,
5) Provision of housing facilities to the homeless,
6) Providing care to the old,
7) Providing care to the Indigenous Australian Citizens, and
8) Taking and providing care to the disable.
The role, structure and purpose of the Magistrate’s Court
Enforcement of welfare laws are done by the Magistrate’s Courts. I’ll now discuss the
role, structure and purpose of the Magistrate’s court with close reference to kogarah local court.
The Magistrate’s court is also referred to as the Local Court. Smaller courts also exist within the
local court and they handle diverse areas of the law. The small areas include; criminal charges,
civil claims, committal hearings, small claims, family disputes, compensation of workers,
coronials, inquests and children matters (Harris-Short, 2012, p. 12).
The court works in such a way that there is no jury; a magistrate sits on the bench and
decides cases. A court is open to members of the public as well as the media unless the nature of
the case warrants it to be heard in private. A magistrate will make an order that the court be
closed and that members of the public be barred from accessing the court room.
The court has both civil and criminal jurisdiction. It deals with summary prosecutions and
criminal committals as well as civil claims up to 100,000. It also has the jurisdiction to handle
matters and applications to apprehend violence orders as well as appeals that relates to driver’s
licenses (Arts & Gelissen, 2010, p. 31).
The local courts however have very limited jurisdiction in the administration of the
Family Law Act of 1975. Their jurisdiction is limited to hearing and determining applications on