Legal service highlights need for Indigenous language interpreters (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Thursday, 16 November 2006, 12:57:05  AEDT
Legal service highlights need for Indigenous language interpreters

http://abc.net.au/message/news/stories/ms_news_1790021.htm

The head of the Aboriginal Legal Service says many injustices have
occurred in Western Australia's justice system because of a lack of
accredited Indigenous language interpreters.

Dennis Eggington says the State Government has put the issue in the too
hard basket, while interpreters for international languages are readily
available for others on trial.

He made the comments after a trial in the Kalgoorlie District Court was
stood down yesterday because the judge was not confident about the
credentials of the interpreter provided for an accused man who spoke
the rare Ngaanyatjarra language.

Mr Eggington says the issue must be addressed to assure the community
justice is being upheld in the WA court system.

"If we look hard enough we could find a whole lot of cases where people
have fronted up at court and haven't been able to understand any of the
proceedings and they've gone through it by just nodding and saying,
'yes, yes, yes'," he said.

The Attorney-General's office has been contacted for comment.