MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
ALRC MOVE TO BRISBANE
This morning, hidden at the bottom of a press release from the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Nationals about regional decentralisation, the government announced the Australian Law Reform Commission would be moved to Brisbane.
The Australian Law Reform Commission, which undertakes comprehensive reviews of our legal system and makes important recommendations for improvements in policy, has already lost six full-time employees, leaving them with a total of just 12.
Now, under the false pretence of decentralisation, the government is apparently planning to move the organisation from Sydney to Brisbane, with no detail about how many jobs will be lost in the process.
Has the coalition not learned from its APVMA disaster?
Can this government seriously pretend that Brisbane is a regional centre, and not a major metropolitan city? What is the real reason for this move? Is it purely coincidental that the current President, appointed by the coalition, lives in Brisbane?
The Attorney-General who is meant to be responsible for the ALRC, not the National Party must immediately explain the motivations behind this decision. He must reveal how much this move will cost the taxpayer, and how many jobs will be lost.
The ALRC is a vital institution which has been treated recklessly by this current government.
FRIDAY, 23 NOVEMBER 2018
