Page 2937 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 30 June 2010
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video
(c) use the results of the Survey of Legal Needs in Australia (2011) to quantify unmet legal need in the ACT during the 2011-2012 financial year.”.
The government supports the broad thrust of this motion that has been brought forward by Mr Rattenbury this afternoon. I have moved a number of amendments which I think assist in clarifying what it is we need to do in relation to this matter. The government are committed to the improvement of access to justice across the community, and we recognise the important role of community legal centres in ensuring that people have access to legal services and representation, particularly if they do not qualify for assistance from other bodies such as the Legal Aid Commission.
The Department of Justice and Community Safety provides total funding of approximately $1.2 million to five organisations for legal assistance, early intervention and related services in the ACT. In the most recent budget, the government is providing increased funding for the delivery of victim support services by the community sector and is delivering increased capacity for the Canberra Women’s Legal Centre to support access to legal services in the ACT for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. The budget initiative provides for an expansion of services through the employment of additional staff by the community legal sector.
I had the opportunity to meet just before the finalisation of this year’s budget with representatives of the community legal centres located at Havelock House. They took the opportunity to explain to me their concerns and the practical problems they faced with their accommodation that is currently in that location. I am, was and remain concerned about their accommodation at this time and the fact that it is a very cramped set of quarters in what is an increasingly old building.
Clearly, there are some constraints around what you can do in relation to a building of that age, particularly short-term or ad hoc measures, without significant cost and, clearly, there needs to be a longer term approach adopted by community legal centres to their future accommodation needs. For that reason, I indicated to community legal centres when I met with them a number of months ago that I would be willing to ask officers of my department to meet with them to discuss the issues at play, to take short-term steps, where feasible, to address the problems and to work with them and provide what assistance we can to them in determining their long-term accommodation needs.
It is, however, important to note that community legal centres are not government organisations. These are private, not-for-profit organisations that do a very important job. But it is not the government’s job to dictate to them their accommodation choices. We can, of course, assist them in evaluating alternatives, and ultimately governments will be called on, as we should be, to assist with the funding of long-term accommodation choices. But it is very much a matter for the community legal centres themselves to determine their future accommodation options.
What I have indicated to community legal centres is that we will provide every assistance possible in that task and work with them collaboratively. To that end, on
Next page . . . . Previous page . . . . Speeches . . . . Contents . . . . Debates(HTML) . . . . PDF . . . . Video