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Legislative Assembly for the ACT: 1997 Week 3 Hansard (9 April) . . Page.. 787 ..

MR CORBELL: My question is to Mr Humphries in his capacity both as Minister for the Environment and as Attorney-General. Minister, are you aware of threats made by the Commonwealth Attorney-General to withdraw funding from the environmental defenders' offices right around Australia, including funding of $35,000 granted to the Environmental Defender's Office here in the ACT? Minister, what action have you taken to raise with the Commonwealth Attorney-General the issue about the threatened closure of this vital community legal centre, which provides Canberra residents with free advice and assistance on environmental and planning law issues?

MR HUMPHRIES: I am not aware of any threat from the Commonwealth Attorney-General's office. When I have raised the issue with him and urged him not to fund the ACT Environmental Defender's Office or, for that matter, other environmental defenders' offices, and indeed when other Environment Ministers around Australia have similarly urged him, or at least his colleague the Federal Minister for the Environment, not to do that, the argument has been that this is not a matter which he is inclined to accede to at this point in time. To correct the basis of Mr Corbell's information: As far as I am aware, there is not any threat from the Commonwealth Government, but I believe that a number of State or Territory governments would be quite happy for that to occur.

I do not believe that we require a separately funded Environmental Defender's Office in the ACT, because we have an office which performs a similar function. That is the ACT Commissioner for the Environment. My view is that, to the extent to which the Environmental Defender's Office has a different role to that of the Commissioner for the Environment, it is quite appropriate and possible for the funding which now goes to the Environmental Defender's Office to go to the Commissioner for the Environment and have his role augmented to cover those additional matters. As far as I am aware, the issue has been raised with the Commonwealth by other Ministers for the Environment around Australia. Certainly, the Western Australian Minister has raised the same issue and I think a couple of other States have as well. I maintain that that is an appropriate use of resources in a small jurisdiction like the ACT.

MR CORBELL: I ask a supplementary question. Minister, I find it extraordinary that you take this position, considering that your counterpart, the shadow Environment Minister in the Liberal Party in New South Wales, actually supports the retention of these offices. If you have in fact written to Mr Williams, the Commonwealth Attorney-General, urging him not fund these organisations, will you table the letter?

MR HUMPHRIES: First of all, if I am to be consistent with the New South Wales Opposition, I am sure I would have as many difficulties in complying with that undertaking as you would in conforming with the views of the New South Wales Government, which I am sure you - - -

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