145.

the divorce rate quite a bit, in the last couple of months.

Actually, the figures have fallen. .

STEVE LIEBMANN:  By how much?

ATTORNEY-GENERAL;  Last year they were running at 1250

a week, this year, so far, the applications are running at

about 750 a week. That is a welcome falling off of

divorce applications.

STEVE LIEBMANN: Can you put your finger on a reason why .  .

the rate has slowed down? .

ATTORNEY-GENERAL:  I think partly, because the Family Law

Act had a backlog of people who were waiting to make applicÂ­

ations. The other'thing is that I hope people are thinkÂ­

ing more about their marriage . The actual number of

marriages is starting to increase. From 1971 to 1975,

the marriages fell from about 118,000 in 1971 to 103,000

in 1975. The number of marriages last year went up again

by about 60,000. That is another good sign. Some of .

those may include people who are getting married for the

second time because there were a lot of people who were

divorced last year. But it is a sign in the right direction.

STEVE LIEBMANN: It is indeed. Thank you very much for

coming in.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL;  Thank you. '

STEVE LIEBMANN: Mr Bob Ellicott the Federal Attorney-General

on Eleven A.M.

Sydney '

20 June 1977  35/77

ATTORNEY-GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT GETS  COMPUTER-BASED LAW__________

The Attorney-General's Department in Canberra

has established Australia's first computer-based legal

information retrieval system.

The Attorney-General, Mr. R.J. Ellicott, Q.C.,

said today the new system, when fully developed, would

give lawyers comprehensive, speedy and accurate access to

the various sources of law.

Already the 12 volumes comprising consolidated

146.

Acts of the Commonwealth Parliament up to 1973 had been

put on the computer data base. This would be expanded

to include the Annotated Constitution, other Commonwealth

legislation, case law.and State Statutes (with the agreement

of the States).

Mr Ellicott said that the new system would enable

the Department's lawyers to obtain relevant information

from the computer by feeding in appropriate key words and

phrases. .

The information would be viewed on a video screen

and relevant references selected and printed immediately.

"The introduction of this new system will proÂ­

vide a valuable tool for legal research and will be a

great aid for the legal draftsman", he said.

The Attorney-General said that the system would

be based on the STATUS programs developed by the United

Kingdom Atomic Research Establishment at Harwell.

As the system was developed, access would be

given to States and interested bodies, subject to

appropriate security and financial arrangements..

Mr Ellicott said that the States and the Law

Council of Australia had been looking to the Commonwealth

for initiative in the computerization of the Law and conÂ­

sultation with them would continue through an existing

Advisory Committee.

Canberra  27 June 1977  36/77

COMMERCIAL LAW ASSOCIATION SEMINAR ON TRADE  ______________ PRACTICES__________ ; __________

Address by the Attorney-General,  Mr R.J. Ellicott, Q.C.

Mr Chairman,  Mr Bannerman, Ladi.es and Gentlemen:

I was very pleased to receive through Mr Peter

Trumble the invitation by the Commercial Law Association

asking me to open this Seminar.

It is very important that the professions and

business community generally should examine in detail the

legal and technical implications of the amendments to the

Act which have recently been passed by the Parliament.

