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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 2000 Week 5 Hansard (9 May) . . Page.. 1296 ..
MR BERRY: Mr Speaker, I have had a look at Mr Hargreaves' report and I will refer to the only matters that I can see in the report that relate to this matter. Mr Hargreaves says in his report:
I suspect that these reductions reflect the personal commitment of the Attorney General and certain members of the Standing Committee to de-fund those activities because the activities have publicly disagreed with those Members' views on sensitive subjects. It is part of the "Do as you are told or we will de-fund you" method of government so obvious in recent times.
This occurs quite often, as we all know, but it is unusual that this practice has the blessing of a Standing Committee. An approach I reject.
That was in relation to a funding application by, I think, the Women's Legal Service, and we all know about that issue.
Mr Speaker, a further comment which the government may well have found sensitive relates to the reduction of funding for legal aid services. The report states:
The reductions of funding for legal aid services with no indication on how those services would be replaced is appalling and should be reversed. The budget process should not be a vehicle for individual Members to pursue individual vendettas.
If that is all that is holding up this report, which is quite thick, then I think we are duty bound to ensure that we follow the usual course of publication. That is why I have moved the motion which is before the chamber and I urge members to support it.
I think members will recall that I had given notice of a motion in relation to a certain committee report and actions by a member of the government. I subsequently withdrew that motion, which I had submitted in the heat of the moment. I would certainly not like this place to assume a role to prevent these sorts of reports being circulated in the normal manner. For it to lay on the table is a convention which, in my view, restricts access to the information which flows from the committee process in this place. I would urge members in this place to support the motion and I would be quite surprised if the government does not.
MR OSBORNE (3.49): Just briefly, Mr Speaker: I am disappointment with this aspect of the report. I have stood up in this place many times and criticised government members for handing down dissenting reports which contain material never raised within the hearings of that committee. The allegations raised by Mr Hargreaves, apart from being not true, were not raised by him once within the committee. In fact, Mr Humphries was queried about his reasoning behind the decision that was made, and he made it quite clear that he had acted on advice from his department.
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