Treasurer Tim Pallas covered cost of Aboriginal groups legal fees in hidden payment
Victorian taxpayers were secretly slugged almost $570,000 to cover legal costs for three Aboriginal groups in a 2021 Supreme Court fight launched by Lidia Thorpe’s mum.
Victoria
Don't miss out on the headlines from Victoria. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Victorian taxpayers were secretly slugged almost $570,000 to cover legal costs for three Aboriginal groups in a 2021 Supreme Court battle over the botched Western Highway duplication project.
Details of the hidden payment – obtained under Freedom of Information laws – show the state government agreed to pay them to appear as third parties in a case launched by Indigenous activist Marjorie Thorpe, who is the mother of Victorian senator Lidia Thorpe.
Ms Thorpe took legal action against the government, claiming the decision to approve the project was unlawful due to plans to remove trees deemed culturally significant.
The groups – the Victorian Aboriginal Heritage Council, the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation and Martang – requested the government fund their representation in the case.
In a letter to Treasurer Tim Pallas in February 2021, Aboriginal Affairs Minister Gabrielle Williams asked him for a Treasurer’s Advance “to support the proper participation of critical third parties”.
“None of the three parties has funds to support their participation in the case and all are seeking government support,” she wrote. “An upper limit of $1m is requested due to the complexity of the case and uncertainty of duration.”
The rare allocation gives parliamentary and legal authority to the government to access funds to meet “urgent expenditure claims” and is not subject to the parliamentary scrutiny that applies to the rest of the budget.
Ms Williams argued the case was of “particular significance” as it would likely establish precedents regarding the impact of development on Aboriginal cultural heritage sites.
“The success or otherwise of the case could have significant implications for the delivery of major projects as part of Victoria’s Big Build as well as the proper functioning of the Aboriginal Heritage Act and the Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010,” she said. She added it could also “have implications for the future treaty process”.
Opposition spokesman David Davis said the secret funding set a precedent.
“Whilst the Victorian government funded three Aboriginal groups in an attempt to expedite the legal processes in the Thorpe case, it has established a precedent where special funding is available to Indigenous parties which is not available to non-Indigenous parties,” he said.
While Mr Pallas signed a brief claiming that “approving the minister’s request will not have an adverse impact on the state’s financial position”, Mr Davis said it was further proof that the Treasurer was “treating taxpayers like an ATM”.
A government spokesman confirmed $569,000 was provided to the groups. The case has since been discontinued and Major Roads Projects Victoria is preparing a new plan to allow works to resume.
Originally published as Treasurer Tim Pallas covered cost of Aboriginal groups legal fees in hidden payment
Anxious wait for candidates vying for city’s top job
The long campaign is finally over but Melbourne’s next lord mayor is not expected to be declared for another two weeks, with the race for the city’s top job set to go down to the wire.
Mum begged for son to be removed. Then it was too late
A Melbourne mother was “at her wits end” after repeatedly pleading with authorities to remove her son, an aggressive 17-year-old with an extensive history of sexual violence. He was bailed days before he strangled her.