Bob Brown (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The problem there is that, as we all know, that $200,000 does not take into account the cost being borne by litigants and their representatives in Tasmania by the need to communicate with Melbourne or go to Melbourne. It may be a saving for the court of $200,000, but part of that impost is transferred straight across to the Tasmanians who are disadvantaged by this decision. The government are unable to give answers as to what that cost will be. In other words, the survey that was done of the cost was loaded to give an outcome that sounded good but in effect did not take into account the costs to the people who matter here, and that is the people who want to approach the Federal Court, defend themselves or take action in the Federal Court, and their legal representatives in Tasmania. We know that it will be tens of thousands of dollars, but it is the sort of figure that should be made available here. If we are going to make a decision based on the incentive of saving $200,000 then the Commonwealth—and, indeed, His Honour Chief Justice Black and the court—should know what that cost is. But apparently there has been no assessment of it, and that is simply not good enough.

I want to complete this submission by saying here that I think the coalition is potentially going to be totally dudded by the government on this matter. That is okay because that is how things happen in politics, but it is not okay for Tasmania. It is not okay when it comes to ensuring that this office is not taken out of Tasmania because it is described as a minor or small or less significant place to make available these facilities. I can only appeal to the coalition to reverse yesterday’s wrong decision and to support the Greens amendment to ensure that the registrar is kept in Hobart.