Despite the accused having no automatic right to legal representation under the Australian legal system, it is widely recognised that Legal Aid is vital in achieving a fair outcome for individuals as seen in the Victorian case Dietrich v. The Queen (1992). The importance of Legal Aid is highlighted by the significant amount of service it provides to the community, as seen in Legal Aid NSW’s ‘Annual Report, 2014-2015’, which states that the Commission provided over 925,000 client services to disadvantaged people. However, Legal Aid fees are now so low that it is viable “only in very limited circumstances” for barristers to act for the most disadvantaged and excluded Australians, according to the Bar Association. Underfunding will result in less experienced barristers being used, which carries the risk of longer trials and more appeals. Furthermore, limited resources have resulted in overbooked community legal centres, which now face difficulty providing adequate support and have trouble keeping expert lawyers, who can earn up to 40 per cent less than the average public servant.…