George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Four years ago—I take your interjection, Senator Collins. Four years ago, in the final budget of the Labor government, the former Attorney-General, Mr Dreyfus, who continues to haunt this Senate today, apparently, like the ghost of Christmas past, announced a four-year funding program which would terminate in 2017. That is what members of the sector refer to as 'the Dreyfus funding cliff'. The expiry of that program on 30 June 2017 is not the result of any decision taken by me or any decision taken by this government; it is the result of a decision taken by Mr Mark Dreyfus in his submission to the 2013—the final—Labor budget.

During this government we have announced a national partnership agreement for legal funding that provides $1.62 billion over five— (Time expired)