26 May 2010

Free quality legal advice? The ACT Government wants naught of this!

| johnboy
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[First filed: May 25, 2010 @ 14:39]

The Greens’ Shane Rattenbury is pointing out that it’s a crying shame lawyers offering to volunteer their time for community work at the Community Legal Centres are being turned away because the ACT Government will not (and has no plans to) provide enough cheap office space to make use of this high price asset.

“Community Legal Centres don’t have enough desks and telephones to go around. The Centres are being forced to turn away volunteer lawyers simply because they don’t have anywhere to put them,” Greens Attorney General spokesperson, Shane Rattenbury, said today.

“By taking the first step of looking around for vacant office space, the Government could start to improve access to justice immediately.

“The Minister today said there was no plan to get moving on this in 2010-11, and gave no guarantee to act in following years either.

Who would have thought Simon Corbell would be at the heart of this one?

UPDATE: The Minister has availed himself of the comments section to make this response:

#3
Simon Corbell
21:55, 25 May 10
The Government is committed to addressing this situation and I have already indicated my department will work community legal centres to identify solutions to the problem. Unfortunately community legal centres did not draw this matter to my attention until the budget was almost finalised, leaving no opportunity to consider funding for the forthcoming financial year. If budget funding is required it will be considered during consideration of next years budget. Unfortunately Shane Rattenbury failed to acknowledge my comments in this regard in his media statement.

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Of course the ACT government wants nothing to do with this, seeing they are heavily lobbied by the insurance companies. If you’re an Australian that’s been injured at work, please visit http://www.legalinjury.com.au for Free Legal Advice now!

In other words, the Community Legal Centre administrators were too incompetent to get any budget submissions in and so they choose the next best option: a hissy-fit in the media.

As a Canberra rate-payer, I am more than happy that the money has gone elsewhere.

The Government talk as though that once they table the budget, that it’s final and it is set in concrete. Typical of them to think everybody in the parliament and in the community should bow to their wishes and accept their policies without question.

The budget has not even been passed yet, there is nothing to prevent the Government from amending the budget, or even the Greens and the Liberals to team up to vote the budget down. The Government has the ability to pull out funding at any time for particular projects or for emergencies etc.

While I cannot say for sure that the legal practices should get all funds they want, for Corbell to claim he can do nothing is a load of bull.

Good on you Simon for responding but… “Simon Corbell
(Troublemaker)” LOL… that’s just so funny.

Whilst I’m a frequent critic of Mr Corbell, he does have a point – if he’s not told, he can’t do much.

They could use the Police stations as I doubt much happens there

Simon Corbell9:55 pm 25 May 10

The Government is committed to addressing this situation and I have already indicated my department will work community legal centres to identify solutions to the problem. Unfortunately community legal centres did not draw this matter to my attention until the budget was almost finalised, leaving no opportunity to consider funding for the forthcoming financial year. If budget funding is required it will be considered during consideration of next years budget. Unfortunately Shane Rattenbury failed to acknowledge my comments in this regard in his media statement.

georgesgenitals3:53 pm 25 May 10

…and yet we can afford bronzed statues of pollies.

Why would the ACT Govt waste money on this, when they have more important things to do, like commission sculptures of Labour “Gods”.

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