Correspondence Sent By ASIC To The Government (either The Olsc, The Ags Department Or The AG Personally) About Commonwealth Barrister Rates Of Pay (this Request Excludes Requests For One-Off…

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ASIC sought ongoing approval from the Office of Legal Services Coordination (OLSC) to engage a Commonwealth barrister at higher counsel rates for multiple financial services enforcement matters. The correspondence from 2022-2023 indicates that ASIC required continued legal assistance for cases being prepared for referral to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, particularly involving complex developing case law under section 47 of relevant legislation. ASIC argued that the barrister's extensive experience and understanding of evolving jurisprudence would benefit not only the immediate matter but also future investigations. Rather than seeking repeated one-off rate increases as individual matters progressed, ASIC applied for blanket ongoing rate approval to streamline the approval process and ensure continued access to specialist counsel for anticipated future matters.