Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis. Can the Attorney-General confirm that, as a result of the government's cuts, the Aboriginal Legal Service New South Wales and ACT will not have the funding to continue its 24-hour legal advice service in addition to its RU OK phone line?

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

Senator Cameron, this is what I can tell you. The Abbott government will be investing $1.3 billion into this sector over the next four years and the only funding reductions to community legal centres have been the saving of $4.37 million achieved by terminating ongoing funding and additional funding provided to environmental defenders offices. In relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal service, no service has had its funding reduced as a result of savings—not one.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I refer to the comments by Chris Day of the Aboriginal Legal Service, who says that, as a result of the government cuts—they obviously are aware of cuts:

There is no fat on the bone for us to cut without cutting frontline services, and that's where the impact is really going to hit.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I do not think there is a question in that, Senator Cameron. But I will invite the minister to make any comment.

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

I am assuming it was asked in an interrogative tone, Mr President. Senator Cameron, given that there have been no cuts to Indigenous legal services, your question would appear to have been based on a false premise.

Doug Cameron (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. I refer to comments from ALS lawyer Morgan Hunter, who says:

I'm scared that there's going to be one type of justice for people who live in metropolitan Sydney and another type of justice for people who live in remote communities and remote NSW.

Why is the government cutting front-line legal services and exacerbating the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians?

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

That is precisely what we are not doing. That is precisely the reason, when I became the Attorney-General, I directed that all of the legal aid money would be directed to front-line services so that it would not be spent on so-called advocacy and political activism by legal aid service providers. What this government wants to ensure is that the legal aid budget, whether it be for Indigenous legal services or whether it be in other areas of the legal assistance budget, is all spent of front-line legal services—every last dollar of it—and, in case you did not hear me the first time or the second time I answered your question, there have been no cuts to Indigenous legal services. None. Not one dollar.

Eric Abetz (Tasmania, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

To put Senator Cameron out of his misery, I will ask that further questions be placed on notice.