Attorney-General Elise Archer cannot be allowed to get away with keeping yet another report commissioned by the government secret from Tasmanians.
Shadow Attorney-General Ella Haddad said Ms Archer was clearly following the lead of her colleague the Health Minister who has now kept several important reports squirrelled away in his bottom drawer.
“Ms Archer obviously thinks it’s OK to spend taxpayer dollars on important reports and then keep them hidden from Tasmanians,” Ms Haddad said.
“And why wouldn’t she when the clear example has been set for her by her Cabinet colleagues who have paid tens of thousands of dollars for reviews of public services and then arrogantly kept them stashed in their back pockets?
“The Review of the Tasmanian Community Legal Assistance Sector has been sitting on Ms Archer’s desk for six months now and she has refused to make it public.
“For six months she has kept the findings of this review – which focuses on the underfunding of groups including the Community Legal Services in Hobart, Launceston and the North West, the Tenants Union of Tasmania sand the Women’s Legal Service – hidden away.
“Today in Budget Estimates when she was asked when it would be released, the best Ms Archer could manage was ‘very soon’.
“She should not be allowed to get away with that and when she appears again at Estimates again tomorrow, Ms Archer should arrive with the review ready to be made public.”
| Ella Haddad MP Shadow Attorney-General |
