The New South Wales government says prison inmates will soon be able to use webcams to talk to their lawyers over the internet.
Beginning next month, the trial program will be run by the NSW Department of Corrective Services and involves a number of Sydney law firms.
Justice Minister John Hatzistergos says the computer webcams provide an alternative to telephone conversations, giving lawyers better access to their clients, especially those being held in rural and regional areas.
He says the webcam communications will be encrypted, to ensure those conversations don't constitute a security breach.
The minister says the trial won't require funding, as many prisons are already equipped with audio-visual equipment used to connect jails with courts.