THE HON MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR THE ARTS
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
MEDIA RELEASE
GOVERNMENT TO CUT AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT SOLICITOR
Labor is concerned by reports today that the Abbott Government plans to close the Australian Government Solicitor.
The AGS has provided legal services and advice to the Commonwealth Government since Federation.
There is no clear cost saving in closing the AGS and it will come at a much larger price for the institutional memory of the public service.
Any legal work that would have been undertaken by the AGS will simply be contracted out to private law firms for a much higher price.
There are some areas of legal representation that must be kept within the public service due to confidentiality and security requirements.
Staff will be lost, whose specialist expertise may be irreplaceable.
Closing the AGS is short-sighted and will end up costing the Abbott Government into the future.
SATURDAY, 13 DECEMBER 2014
