Access to justice

Metric

Index of Australia’s performance in providing accessible and affordable civil courts and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms

Why does this matter

Fair and equal access to justice is critical if people are to have their rights, freedoms, and the ability to pursue lives which enhance their wellbeing. A value of 1 in the index shows that Australia is performing well in terms of the access and affordability of civil justice or the access, impartiality, and effectiveness of the alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

Has there been progress

In Australia, the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index® indicates that the access people have to civil justice and whether alternative dispute resolution mechanisms are accessible, impartial, and effective, have remained relatively stable over the decade — with an average index of 0.6 and 0.8 (out of 1) respectively between 2012‑13 and 2022.