The Australian Government will not fund any further legal challenges to the decision taken by the Western Australian Government to close the Swan Valley indigenous camp.
The Premier of Western Australia wrote to me on 28 June asking me to cease funding the legal challenge. At that time, there was no Australian Government funding for legal challenges.
As the Attorney-General indicated in a press release on 6 July 2007, funding was provided by the Attorney-General's Department under the Public Interest and Test Case provisions of the legal aid scheme for an initial challenge of the decision to close the camp. The Federal Court rejected that appeal in April 2007 and the Australian Government was not funding any legal challenge that could be ceased when Mr Carpenter wrote to me.
On 9 July, the Australian Government received an application from solicitors representing a female relative of Robert Bropho seeking funding to support an appeal against the Federal Court's decision. That application was considered on its merits, and in accordance with relevant guidelines, and refused.
The Australian Government abhors sexual abuse of children and supports strongly the decision taken by the Western Australian government to close the Swan Valley camp.