Legal aid totalling $179,000 was paid to three of the four candidates for the Federal seat of Wills involved in the High Court challenge.
A spokeswoman for the Attorney-General’s department said yesterday that the aid had been given under the public-interest and test cases part of the legal-aid guidelines.
The department thought that it was in the public interest that a dispute on Section 44 of the Constitution be properly constituted.
Privacy provisions prevent disclosure of who got what legal aid, but it is understood that the Liberal candidate, John Delacretaz, did not qualify. the $179,000 was for Independent Phil Cleary, Labor candidate Bill Kardamitsis and the independent who brought the action Ian Sykes.
Mr Cleary’s election had been challenged because he held an office of profit under the Crown and the next two highest vote-getters, Mr Kardamitsis and Mr Delacretaz, on the ground they owed allegiances to foreign powers.
It is understood that Mr Sykes had been determined to represent himself in the case. It is understood that the legal representatives for the three legally aided litigants did the job for the legal-aid sum.