Crispin Hull

Something is with the grant of legal aid to those charged over an incident at the Iranian Embassy earlier this year. Eight of 13 who applied got legal aid. The committal hearing is to resume in September.

It must be said at the outset that the case is before the courts and in issue of the grant of legal aid has nothing whatever to do with the merits of the case.

It has been estimated that the legal aid will the taxpayer about $1 million. That is an awful lot of money for just one case. It has resulted in caustic criticism, especially on talk-back radio in Sydney. The shadow attorney-general, Peter Costello, has also weighed in. Several questions come to mind immediately. Why so much money? What effect will it have on the ACT legal-aid budget? What role, if any, did the Commonwealth have? What sort of legal aid, if any, should be granted to non-citizens? And why did these defendants get lawyer-of-choice aid?
Continue reading “1992_07_july_lead26”

Law Week opened yesterday (monjul27) with praise and a warning from the Attorney-General, Terry Connolly.

He said the legal profession was responding to community demands for cheaper more speedy service.

However, if it did not respond to community and government prodding, the Government would not resile from action down the track.
Continue reading “1992_07_july_lawweek”

An Australian law firm, Sly and Weigall, is to post a full time lawyer to Vietman, it was announced this week. Cameron McCullogh, from the firm’s Brisbane office, will set up office in Hanoi, and will be the first permanent representative of an Australian law firm in Vietnam.

A Farrer woman has been hit for land tax on what she says is her mother’s house.

Monica Brunner said yesterday her mother, Hilda Beran, bought the house in Mawson in 1973 after the death of her husband. She put it in her daughter’s (Mrs Brunner’s) name because she thought she would ultimately be inheriting the house anyway. Mrs Beran is 88.

“”Morally, the house belongs to my mother,” Mrs Brunner said. “”She paid for it and lives in it. Yet I have to pay land tax.”
Continue reading “1992_07_july_landtax”

The Landlord Advisory Service has called upon ACT landlords to speak up for their rights at the a public meeting being held by the ACT Community Law Reform Committee.

The meeting is at Phillip College from 4pm to 7pm next Monday.

The service has placed an advertisement in The Canberra Times tomorrow saying landlord rights to chose a tenant, to be paid rent and to retain vacant possession of their properties are under threat.

It says tenant groups have many ideas for change.
Continue reading “1992_07_july_landlord”

From today employers of more than half the Australian workforce with have to pay extra superannuation and spend more on training.

Employers groups says the changes will result in major job losses or increased prices.

The Confederation of Australian Industry says the superannuation increases will cost between 45,000 and 60,000 jobs.

From today employers with a payroll of more than $1 million will have to pay each employee 4 per cent of salary in vested superannuation to all employees earning more than $450 a month, up from 3 per cent.
Continue reading “1992_07_june_super”

From today the ACT Supreme Court comes under the province of the ACT Legislative Assembly and Executive.

A formal ceremony will be held at the court to mark the occasion this morning.

The significance of today’s change is that the Assembly and its Executive (for practical purposes, the Attorney-General) become responsible for the administration of the courts as well as appointments to the Bench.
Continue reading “1992_07_june_supct”

Land tax is expected to rise by as much as 40 per cent in some suburbs and by an average of 25 per cent next financial year.

This is despite the announcement this week that the Follectt Government would not increase the land tax rate of 1 per cent.

Landlords were initially relieved by the announcement. They had expected it to rise to 1.25 per cent or 1.5 per cent. However, the increase in property valuations have ensured land tax would rise anyway.
Continue reading “1992_07_june_rate”

A member of the National Crime Authority misled the parliamentary watchdog on the authority, according to the Senate Privileges Committee.

The privileges committee found also that the authority’s then chairman and other members of the authority tried to prevent an officer from giving evidence to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Crime Authority.

The joint committee was set up as a watchdog to the authority, which has wide powers and extensive secrecy provisions, after concern about who watches the watchers.
Continue reading “1992_07_june_priv”

The Opposition spokesman on industry and commerce, Ian McLachlan, has won a large defamation settlement from Rural Press Limited.

Mr McLachlan began action in the ACT Supreme Court after the now-defunct Australian Rural Times asserted in August, 1990, he had shown a confidential letter on Liberal party policy to the then Labor Minister for Primary Industry, John Kerin, and that Mr McLachlan was known as the Labor Member for Barker.

It is understood the case has cost Rural Press about $250,000 in legal fees and the settlement, leaving Mr McLachlan around $80,000. These figures, however, would not be confirmed because the settlement was not to be disclosed.
Continue reading “1992_07_june_maclach”