Page 3283 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 19 October 2022
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This initiative contributes to the wellbeing domain of government institutions in that formal sense of the wellbeing indicators, but I think the really important measure of its impact lies in people who could not otherwise afford legal support getting that legal support to deal with what are often the most difficult moments in their lives, be that applying for a family violence order or finding themselves involved in the criminal justice system.
I want to join Mr Cain in expressing our gratitude for the fantastic work done by Legal Aid ACT. On the issue of Legal Aid’s accommodation, I can assure the Assembly that Legal Aid are staying exactly where they are. Their lease was due for renewal. There has been a process where, whilst the formal policy of government is to rent only in buildings that are all electric, we did seek to test this with the renewal of Legal Aid’s lease. We worked with the building owner so that they would seek to, at the end of the life of the gas systems in their building, consider moving to an all-electric system through the upgrade process. As we know, their heating and cooling system will reach the end of life point. We understand that that will be during the term of the next lease for Legal Aid and we have sought to, as part of our overall government commitment, ensure that that is the case.
I can also let the Assembly know that the government provided quite a bit of support to Legal Aid to help that negotiation process, providing staff from EPSDD who have quite a bit of knowledge on how these systems work. I do not expect Legal Aid to have a detailed understanding of how heating and cooling systems work; that is not their job. They have got a really clear job. But EPSDD does have that expertise, so we brought in support from EPSDD and also Property Group to work through these details. Mr Cain sent his letter eight or nine days ago, so that is why I have not responded to him yet. My understanding, and certainly the last conversation I had with Legal Aid about this matter, which was some weeks ago now, was that the i’s were being dotted, the t’s were being crossed and the lease was sorted. I am quite confident that that is the case.
I saw the CEO of Legal Aid in the last three or four days at a community event. He did not raise any concerns with me, and I reckon he would have if there had been any concerns. So I will formally write back to Mr Cain but, to the best of my knowledge, the lease has been sorted. Certainly, the intent is that Legal Aid would stay in the city, because Mr Cain is right: the location is very suitable for them. There is no reason why we would want to move them. That has certainly been the approach that has been taken. We also need to ensure value for money and various other considerations, and that has been the discussion that has been had. I can come back and correct the chamber, but I am very happy to confirm that Legal Aid will be staying in their current premises.
Having made those remarks and hopefully answered that question, I commend this appropriation to the Assembly for all the reasons that have been talked about—the excellent work that Legal Aid does and the additional funding that has been provided to them to expand their capability and to meet the growing demand that we see.
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