I met with Unions Tasmania last week and asked them to consider returning the $190,000 grant provided from the Solicitors’ Guarantee Fund in 2013.

Unions Tasmania has acknowledged that this grant was not spent on the program for which it was provided.

The Grant was provided by former Attorney-General Brian Wightman to Unions Tasmania in 2013 for the specific purpose of expanding the Worker Assist legal advisory service.

Unions Tasmania has confirmed that the $190,000 grant has not been used to expand Worker Assist as outlined in the grant application, and that it has instead been diverted to other activities. I am not convinced that the other activities proposed are consistent with the intent of the grant funding.

Media reports today that the person employed to undertake the SGF grant work helped organise this week’s “bust the budget” rallies as part of his employment at Unions Tasmania are concerning.

Clearly the use of any SGF grant funding to fund a person to organise rallies for Unions Tasmania would be a wholly inappropriate use of the funds.

Grants for the Solicitors’ Guarantee Fund are intended to support legal assistance programs such as Legal Aid and Community Legal Centres. The return of the money would ensure that it could be spent on genuine legal assistance programs.

Our legal advice is that the previous government’s failure to draw up a grant deed when providing this grant for the Worker Assist program means that Unions Tasmania can’t be compelled to return the grant.

However, given that the Solicitors’ Guarantee Fund grants are intended to support legal assistance programs, we believe Unions Tasmania have a moral obligation to consider returning the grant.

The Department of Justice has been asked to provide advice on formal processes which should be implemented around the provision of grants from the Solicitors’ Guarantee Fund.

No further grants will be distributed from this fund until these processes are in place to ensure grants are spent on appropriate law-related programs and projects.
Vanessa Goodwin, Attorney-General