Greens Cr Harris was referring to an “unethical” move by the
law firm for Foster’s Limited, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, pressuring the Legal
Aid Commission to reject legal aid to Darlinghurst resident Matthew
Drake-Brockman in late March.
Mr Drake-Brockman, a law student, lodged a lawsuit against
Planning Minister Frank Sartor and Foster’s Limited in March. The basis of the
legal action is that the concept plan for the Carlton & United Brewery site
– which Mr Sartor approved in February – is environmentally unsustainable.
The student has “limited financial means” whilst Foster’s
had a turnover of $4.9 billion and a profit of $1.16 billion last year.
“We really need legal aid to come through,” Cr Harris told
the SSH. Mr Drake-Brockman has not received funding from the Greens, as
incorrectly reported elsewhere. However, Cr Harris – who never voted for the
CUB plan – has been his biggest supporter politically and is helping him
fundraise.
“Assuming the litigation is run simply and in a timely and
professional way, the legal costs might be in the range of $30,000 to $80,000.
That is an average of around .004% of Foster’s consolidated net profit in 2006,”
Mr Drake-Brockman wrote in a letter to the NSW Law Society. He was requesting
that Corrs Chambers
Westgarth be disciplined and counselled about their obligations
to society and the rule of law.
At the time of writing, the Legal Services Commissioner had
asked for more information to determine whether the law firm had committed “professional
misconduct” or “unsatisfactory professional conduct.” The former regards
conduct occurring in law and is more serious with disbarment a potential
penalty.
Source: South Sydney Herald May 2007 http://www.southsydneyherald.com.au/