Page 3227 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 23 August 2017
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MR BARR: It is entirely consistent. The contrast between my approach on this issue and that of the Prime Minister is very clear. I have sought parliamentary approval for the ACT government to provide support to our LGBTIQ community. We have allocations within the budget for the office for LGBTIQ Affairs and support for A Gender Agenda. The exact financial amounts are outlined in budget paper 3, I think on page 77 from memory. If members want to look at the exact amounts they can find them there.
There are, of course, existing allocations for support to community sector organisations as diverse as the AIDS Action Council of the ACT through to Lifeline, which also provides support in the youth mental health area. Organisations like beyondblue nationally are involved in providing support to the LGBTIQ community.
The ACT government has been followed by other state governments. The Victorian government announced on the weekend that it will provide $1 million of support to the LGBTIQ community in the state of Victoria during the voluntary, non-binding postal survey process.
So our approach has been followed by other state and territory governments. It has been endorsed by this parliament. It is the right thing to do in what is a hurtful and divisive debate. We are already seeing some outrageous things being said and done by those who seek to denigrate the human rights of LGBTIQ Canberrans and Australians. We stand against that. We stand with LGBTIQ Canberrans.
Director of Public Prosecutions—funding
MR HANSON: My question is to the Attorney-General and relates to the budget cut being applied to JACS. The DPP has stated in his annual report that:
One of the problems is that although the Office is fiercely independent in relation to its decision making, all financial matters are filtered through the JACS directorate. Unfortunately, the directorate has been singularly unsuccessful in representing the interests of the Office in budgetary discussions and this has led to the current resourcing crisis … This is a pressing issue.
Attorney-General, how can the DPP maintain their, as they say, fierce independence when they cannot make their own budget submissions?
MR RAMSAY: I thank Mr Hanson for his question, noting that there will be further discussions on this shortly after question time on the motion. I note, for the sake of the Assembly and of Mr Hanson, that a review is taking place. The government has received the report from that and is considering a response in relation to it. We will be looking at the way in which the DPP is resourced in an ongoing way. I note that, again, as was mentioned the other day by the Chief Minister in my absence due to sickness, there has been an increase in the DPP’s resources this year. The way that we will continue to fund in the future is something we will do in response to the report that has come in.
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