The lack of legal aid funding for thousands of Australians and costly court delays will be reviewed by a Senate Inquiry, after a Green amendment passed the Senate this morning.

"Many people in this country are not able to assert their legal rights. Some litigants wait for months or even years for their matters to be resolved, as the courts don't have the resources to deal with them. For these Australians, justice delayed is justice denied," said the Greens Attorney Generals Spokesperson, Senator Scott Ludlam.

"Other Australians are prevented from taking legal action all together because legal aid isn't available and they can't afford to access our expensive justice system. The financial crisis will only exacerbate this. Your chances of success before the courts should not be determined by your bank balance."

"We need to boost funding for community legal centres and for the legal assistance sector and we need to look at alternative ways of delivering justice. In some instances, mediation or arbitration may produce better results for litigants and reduce the burden on our courts. I hope this inquiry will look at how we can improve access to justice in this country."

Senator Ludlam amended a motion to launch a Senate Inquiry into the judicial system, expanding the terms of reference to include: legal aid, access to legal representation, the length and complexity of litigation, alternative justice models, funding for community legal centres and the ability of Indigenous people to access justice.

For more information or media enquiries please call Robert Simms on 0417 174 302