The South Australian Law Reform Institute a decade on: 'May you continue well into the future'

Abstract

The independent South Australian Law Reform Institute (‘SALRI’), based at the Adelaide Law School, was established in December 2010 under an agreement between the Attorney-General of South Australia, the University of Adelaide and the Law Society of South Australia. This article considers the role and effect of SALRI during its first decade of operation and asks whether the initial pessimism expressed, notably by Michael Kirby, for the institute model of law reform and SALRI has been borne out. The authors examine the history and changing nature of law reform in South Australia. The authors draw on the legacy of Kirby at the Australian Law Reform Commission and identify, through SALRI’s work to date, the key features of a modern and effective small law reform agency. While it is difficult to measure the success of a law reform agency, SALRI’s efforts and effects over a decade are notable. It is argued that there is no one-size- fits- all model of law reform and that the institute model, whilst not without issues, has certain advantages, especially for a smaller jurisdiction like South Australia. The considerable output and impact of SALRI is discussed. It is concluded that SALRI’s substantial and beneficial effect on law reform in South Australia to date belies its small size.