Financial Position>

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Cash Flows>

Notes 2001>




The financial statements for the year 2000 are provided here online. The

Certification of Financial Statements>

and ;

Independent Audit Report>

have been provided as PDF [Portable Document Format] documents. A PDF requires a viewer Adobe Acrobat, freely available from the Adobe website.

Financial Position



Notes

2001
($'000's)

2000
($'000's)

Current Assets
Cash Assets
Receivables
Other Assets


Non Current Assets
Land And Buildings
Office Equipment
Furniture And Equipment
Library
Leasehold Improvements


Total Assets


Current Liabilities
Payables
Provision For Leave
Provision For Rec Leave


Non Current Liabilities
Provision For Lsl


Total Liabilities


Net Assets


Equity
Capital Contribution
Accumulated Surplus
Total Equity


9
10



11











12



















1,230
183
11
1,424


251
96
4
115
10
477

1,901



108
130
185
423


19
19

442


1,459



325
1134
1,459


353
135
42
531


258
98
12
111
17
497

1,028



104
101
183
388


50
50

438


590



325
265
590

Financial Performance



Notes

2001
($'000's)

2000
($'000's)

Revenues from Ordinary Activities
Commonwealth Grant
Commonwealth Community Legal Centre Disbursements

State Government Grant

Other Income

Total



Expenses from Ordinary Activities
Salaries and Related Payments
Commission Administrative Running Costs

Debts Written Off
Staff Entitlements
Depreciation


Payments to Private Practitioner Legal services Providers

Disbursements to Community Legal Centres

Total

Profit / Loss Result


3
3

3

4






5


6

7




8


4,239
488

3,086

373

8,186




2,807
1,135

26
0
99
4,067

2,771

480

7,318

868


3,720
967

2,770

458

7,915




2,873
1,193

24
-26
200
4,264

3,344

967

8,575

(660)

Cash Flows



Notes

2001
Inflows
(Outflows)
($'000's

2000
Inflows
(Outflows)
($'000's)


Operating Activities
Receipts
Cash Flows from Government
Commonwealth Grants to the Legal Aid Commission of Tasmania
Commonwealth Grants for Disbursement to Community Legal Centres
State Government Grants


Other Receipts
Contributions and Costs Recovered from Clients
Interest Received
Other Revenue

Total Operating Receipts

Operating Payments
Payments to Private Legal Practitioners and Other Business
Partners
Wages and Salaries
Suppliers
Payments to Community Legal Centres
Total Operating Payments

Net Cash Surplus (Used) in Operating Activities

CashFlows from Investing Activities
Asset Acquisition

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

Net Increase (Decrease) in Cash Held


Cash at Beginning of Period

Cash at End of Period

























17

















4,239
488
3,022
7,749


301
52
8
361

8,110


(2,771)

(2,804)
(1,100)
(480)
(7,155)

955

(78)


(78)

877


353

1,230





3,720
967
3,004
7,691


348
57
0
405

8,096


(3,344)

(2,863)
(1,212)
(967)
(8,386)

(290)

(44)


(44)

(334)


687

353

Notes to and f orming Part of the Financial Statements 2001

NOTE 1: STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The Legal Aid Commission of Tasmania was established under the Legal Aid Commission Act 1990 on 1st January 1991 and the financial statements of the Commission have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Financial Management and Audit Act 1990. The Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the requirements pertaining to General Purpose Financial Reports (GPFR's), including Australian Accounting Standards and Urgent Issues Group (UIG) consensus views.

(a) Basis of Accounting

The financial statements are prepared on an accrual accounting basis using historical costs and, except where stated, do not take into account current valuations of non-current assets. Policies have been consistently applied except as otherwise indicated.

IIn accordance with the transitional provisions outlined in paragraph 10.7(b) of AAS 38 'Revaluation on Non-Current Assets', the Legal Aid Commission of Tasmania is yet to disclose its Non Current Assets on a fair value basis. This will ocurr when current valuations are obtained for each class of that asset is disclosed at Note 11, and this process is expected to be completed by June 30, 2003.

During 1997/98 formal valuations of Freehold Property Assets and Library Assets were obtained. Detailed disclosures are contained at the notes to these items.

(b) Plant and Equipment

Plant and equipment are carried at historical cost less accumulated depreciation. Plant and equipment purchased for less than $1,000 is charged to expense as incurred.

(c) Depreciation

Assets are depreciated over their expected useful economic lives using the straight line method. The useful life calculation for each asset group is as follows:

Asset Group

Useful Life (years)

Furniture and Fittings
Office Equipment
Alterations to Accommodation
Freehold Property
Libraries

4
4
4
25
10


(d) Leases

Operating lease payments are charged to expense in the period in which they are incurred.

(e) Provision for Long Service Leave

Employee entitlements are recognised in accordance with Australian Accounting Standard AAS30. A current liability is provided for all employees with 10 years service or more based on their current annual salary. A Non current liability is calculated for all other employees based on their number of effective years of service and the probability of them attaining the required 10 years of service effective service. The non current liability is the total of the net present value cost for 0 - 9 years inclusive taking into account an estimated inflation factor of 3.53% and discounting the entitlement using interest rates attaching to Commonwealth Government guaranteed securities as at the reporting date.

(f) Provision for recreational Leave

The liability for accrued recreation leave represents the expected cost of employees pro-rata entitlements using current salary rates.

(g) Sick Leave

No amount is shown for non-vested sick leave. On the basis of previous experience, namely sick leave of 4 days per annum, per employee, the estimated liability of $37,872 is not material in comparison with total liabilities.


(h) Financial Instruments

Cash

Cash is measured at nominal amounts. Cash includes, cash on hand, all cash held in the operating account and short term investments. Interest rate risk is considered minimal.

Receiveables

Trade receivables and other receivables are recorded at nominal value due less any provision for doubtful debts.

Client contributions owing are predominantly small contributions from clients and as such exposure to credit risk is considered to be minimal.

Payables

Legal creditor accounts payable are recognised upon certification of those accounts for payment. There were no outstanding amounts as at June 30 2001.

Trade creditor payables are recognised when the economic entity becomes obliged to make future payments resulting from the purchase of goods and services. Measurement is based on the agreed purchase/contract cost. The amounts are unsecured and normally settled within 30 days.

Investments

The Commission is authorised under its Act to invest surplus funds in any of the ways referred to in Section 5 of the Trustee Act 1898. During the reporting period investments were held in an at call cash management facility.

Interest revenue is recognised in the operating statement when earned. As the Commission's investments were held in the above instruments and held over relatively short periods it is considered that any interest rate exposure is minimal.

As at the 30th June 2001 the following investments were held

Asset Group

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's


At Call Cash Management
Account No. 1 ~ Operating Account

At Call Cash Management
Account No. 2 ~ PDR Programme 2001/2002

Operating Account


517
On Call at an interest
rate of 5.05%

415
On Call at an interest
rate of 5.05%

317
On call at an interest
rate of 4.46%


267
On Call at an interest
rate of 6.00%

0



58
On Call at an interest
rate of 5.6%


The At Call Cash Management Account No.2 holds the first instalment of the Commissions 2001/2002 Primary Dispute Resolution Program received by the Commission in April 2001 which commences in July 2001.

NOTE 2: GOING CONCERN.

These statements have been prepared on a going concern basis in the expectation that the Commission will continue to function and be funded in the future on the basis as set out in a new Commonwealth/State Agreement which became effective from the 1st July 2000 covering a four year period.

NOTE 3: GOVERNMENT CONTRIBUTIONS

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Commonwealth Base Grant
Commonwealth Receipts in Advance
Commonwealth Disbursements to Community
Legal Centres
State Government Base Grant

3,824
415
488

3,086
7,398

3,720
0
967

2,770
7,457


Government Contributions

Government contributions are as a result of a new Commonwealth/State agreement which became effective from the 1st July 2000 for a duration of 4 years.

Commonwealth Receipts in Advance

An amount of $415,000 was received in April 2001 for a new Commonwealth Initiative in Primary Dispute Resolution. The program will commence in July 2001 and run for approximately 18 months with another grant of approximately $220,000 to be received during 2001/2002.

Commonwealth Disbursements to Community Legal Centres

The Commonwealth State Agreement provided for disbursements to Community Legal Centres (CLC's) to commence in the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2000/2001 as a result of negotiations with the new 4 year funding agreement and the impacts of the Good and Services Tax (GST) introduction.

NOTE 4: OTHER REVENUE

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Client Contributions and Cost Recoveries
Interest Income
Proceeds of Asset Sales
Miscellaneous

310
55
1
7
373

402
56
0
0
458


Client Contributions and Cost Recoveries

Contributions consist of amounts levied on clients by In-House practitioners and recovered costs. Not included are amounts collected by private legal practitioners and deducted from their accounts for services rendered to the Commission, prior to payment by the Legal Aid Commission. Recovered costs consist of those costs awarded by the courts to the benefit of the Commission.

Interest Income

Derived from cashflow surpluses from monies held on call, or in short term cash management accounts.

NOTE 5: SALARIES

Salaries and Related Payments

Includes Salaries of Commission employees, superannuation contributions and Commissioners renummeration.

Employer Superannuation Contributions

The Legal Aid Commission is required to reimburse the Commonwealth for the employer share of the cost of superannuation benefits paid in respect of staff transferred to the Commission and who remained members of the Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme or the Public Sector Superannuation Scheme. The Commission discharges this liability by periodic payments to the Retirement Benefits Office of amounts, expressed as a percentage of the salaries of eligible employees, estimated by the Retirement Benefits Office to be sufficient to meet the Commission's share of the full accruing cost of the pensions granted on the retirement or death of such employees.

For employees who are contributors under the Retirement Benefits Act 1993, the liability for the scheme is accepted by the Crown and administered by the Retirement Benefits Fund Board. During 1996/97 an 11% employer contribution to contributing members and 8% for non contributing members was paid to the Department of Treasury and Finance in full satisfaction of the Legal Aid Commission's employer liability.

NOTE 6: DEBTS WRITTEN OFF

The amount reported comprises the bad debt write off as reported by the Commission's Case Management System (LA OFFICE).


2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Bad debt write of LA OFFICE

26

24

NOTE 7: DEPRECIATION

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Office Equipment
Furniture and Fittings
Library
Leasehold Improvements
Buildings

61
9
16
6
7
99

152
16
14
11
7
200

NOTE 8: GRANTS TO COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTRES- 2000/2001

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

North West Community Legal Centre Inc.
Environmental Defender's Office (Tas) Inc.
Hobart Community Legal Service Inc.
Launceston Community Legal Centre Inc.
Tenants Union of Tasmania Inc.
Women,s Legal Services (Tas) Inc.

42
38
160
112
25
102
480

121
81
315
191
55
204
967


Total receipts for Community Legal Centres were $8,000 in excess of disbursements.

The $8,000 is a Commonwealth contribution toward software upgrades for the Community Legal Centres Information System. It will be allocated during 2001/2002

NOTE 9: INVESTMENTS, CASH AT BANK AND ON HAND 2000/2001

The Commission maintains an operating account with WESTPAC Banking Corporation, and an at Call Cash Management Account with TASCORP), and a trust account in accordance with Section 37 of the Legal Aid Commission Act 1990.

Transactions pertaining to the Trust Account are shown at Note 13.

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Operating Account – WESTPAC Bank
Account
Operating Account – Commonwealth
Bank
Account
Office Advances
11-00am On Call Cash Management
Account

290

0

8
932
1,230

58

19

9
267
353

NOTE 10: DEBTORS

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Contributions owing by the State Government
Goods and Services Tax (GST)
Recoveries Due
Contributions owing by clients
Reimbursements owing by other Legal
Aid Commissions

Less: provision for doubtful debts

118

30
36
0

185
2
183

54

0
40
43

137
2
135

A provision for Doubtful Debts has been estimated for the 2000/2001. This estimate has been made after a review of current debtors portfolio and the likelihood of payments being made. The doubtful debts consist of small contributions unlikely to be paid for which recovery action is considered uneconomical.

Case Management debtors are held as Case Revenue. As a consequence an amount of $16,910 was outstanding which related to debtors of the Commission's In House practice at the 30th June. The balance of $23,047 were debtors which were recoverable by private legal practitioners. The total of $39,957.00 are reported as Commission debtors, as a function of the accounting method used by the case management software LA OFFICE.

NOTE 11: NON CURRENT ASSETS

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

FREEHOLD PROPERTY
Land at Independent 1995/96 Valuation
Buildings at 1995/96 Valuation
Less Accummulated Depreciation


100
172
21
251


100
172
14
258

During 1995/96 a property was purchased to accommodate the Burnie regional office.

Alteration and additions were undertaken during 1996/97. The property was shown at acquisition and development cost for the 1996/97 reporting period. A formal independent valuation based on Current Market Value on 'an existing use' basis was obtained in June 1998 from Eastaugh Hearps, registered real estate valuers from Burnie as follows:

OFFICE EQUIPMENT AT WRITTEN DOWN VALUE

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Historical cost
Less: accumulated depreciation

1249
1153
96

1191
1093
98

FURNITURE AND FITTINGS AT WRITTEN DOWN VALUE

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Historical cost
Less: accumulated depreciation

267
263
4

267
255
12

OFFICE EQUIPMENT AT WRITTEN DOWN VALUE.

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Historical cost
Less: accumulated depreciation

1249
1153
96

1191
1093
98

LIBRARY

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

At independent valuation
Additions at cost
Less: accumulated depreciation

136
20
41
115

102
34
25
111

During 1997/98 the Commissions library was revalued by an independent valuer, Mr A Nicholas of Sandy Bay.

ALTERATIONS TO ACCOMMODATION

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Historical cost
Less: accumulated depreciation

242
232
10

242
225
17

RECONCILIATION OF ASSET CLASSES

FREEHOLD PROPERTY

2000/01
$'000's

Land- Opening Balance at Valaution
Buildings- Opening Balance at Valuation
Additions
Disposals
Asset Revaluation
Depreciation
Closing written Down Value

100
158



7
251


OFFICE EQUIPMENT

2000/01
$'000's

Opening Balance at Historical Cost
Additions
Disposals
Asset Revaluation
Depreciation
Closing written Down Value

98
58


60
96


FURNITURE AND FITTING

2000/01
$'000's

Opening Balance at Historical Vost
Additions
Disposals
Asset Revaluation
Depreciation
Closing written Down Value

12



8
4


LIBRARY

2000/01
$'000's

Opening Balance at Historical Cost
Additions
Disposals
Asset Revaluation
Depreciation
Closing written Down Value

17



7
10


ALTERATIONS TO ACCOMMODATION

2000/01
$'000's

Opening Balance at Historical Cost
Additions
Disposals
Asset Revaluation
Depreciation
Closing written Down Value

17



7
10


NOTE 12: PAYABLES

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Salaries
Other Operating Costs

66
42
108

62
42
104


NOTE 13: TRUST ACCOUNT TRANSACTIONS

The following transactions of the Commission acting as trustee have not been included in the financial statement:

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Balance at Commonwealth Bank as at 1 July 2000
Plus receipts
Less payments
Balance at Westpac Bank as at 30 June 2001

1

354
345
10

2

150
151
1

NOTE 14: COMMITMENTS

At 30th June 2001 the Commission's case management system (LA OFFICE) disclosed a commitment of $1,324,800 ($1,981,751 for 1999/2000) in respect of applications for legal assistance made, and accepted by, the Commission or its predecessors and which had not been finalised at that date. The commitment was estimated on the basis of scale fees and/or hourly rates, depending on the nature of the action concerned. Possible future recoveries and commitment reviews are estimated to reduce this commitment to approximately $1,263,700 as compared with $1,903,422 for the 1999/2000 reporting period.

NOTE 15: LEASES

Operating leases exist for office accommodation for the Legal Aid Commission at Hobart, Launceston, and Devonport. Vehicles are leased for each regional office. The aggregate of lease commitments for which no provisions are included in the financial statements can be classified as follows:

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Due within 1 year
Due within 1 - 2 years
Due within 2 - 5 years

232
104
193
529

323
221
164
708


NOTE 16: RECONCILIATION OF CASH

For the purposes of the statement of cash flows, the entity considers cash to include cash on hand and in banks and investments readily convertible to cash. Cash at the end of the reporting period as shown in the statement of cash flows is the same as the related items in the statement of financial position.

NOTE 17: RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH USED IN OPERATING ACTIVITIES TO OPERATING RESULT

2000/01
$'000's

1999/00
$'000's

Operating Result

Non Cash Items
Depreciation

Change In Operating Assets /
Liabilities

Increase in Accrued Revenue
Increase in Receiveables
Increase in Provision for recreational
leave
Increaase in Payables
Decrease inProvision for long service
leave
Decrease in Prepayments

868


99



(3)
(47)
2

5
(2)

33
955

(660)


200



1
204
(1)

16
(25)

(25)
(290)







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