Court Services and Performance

The Hon. GREG DONNELLY: My question without notice is directed to the Attorney General. What is the latest information regarding the performance of New South Wales courts?

The Hon. JOHN HATZISTERGOS: The court system in New South Wales is the largest in Australia and handles more cases than any other jurisdiction. This year the Productivity Commission's Report on Government Services found New South Wales courts led the nation not only in the number of cases dealt with but also in the effectiveness and efficiency with which those cases were managed. For example, the New South Wales District Court, Local Court and Children's Court were all national leaders in terms of timeliness of criminal matters. These courts handle over 99 per cent of all criminal matters in New South Wales. The New South Wales Local Court was the only court to achieve the national standards set by the Productivity Commission, which requires that no more than 10 per cent of matters are more than six months old.

In light of those results, it is extremely pleasing that the report released yesterday by the New South Wales Auditor General has again found that New South Wales courts have some of the best results in the nation—in fact, a clearance rate close to 100 per cent. The report found that the Local and District courts had the lowest backlog of cases of all States and Territories over 12 months for non-appeal criminal matters. The District and Supreme courts had the second lowest backlog of cases over 12 months for civil non-appeal matters. The average cost per matter in New South Wales District and Supreme courts is less than the national average. The Local and District courts handle more than 99 per cent of all criminal matters each year, making such a low backlog an even greater achievement.

These results are a testament to the hard work carried out by court staff that is critical to making our courts the most efficient in the nation. The Auditor-General also praised the largest ever court development undertaken in New South Wales, the $330 million Parramatta Justice Precinct, with the report stating that the entire project was significantly ahead of schedule without going over budget. The Government is constantly seeking ways to continue the high performance of our courts. Current programs, such as installing audiovisual equipment and the revolutionary JusticeLink, which will electronically link every court in the State, will help us retain our leading position.

The Government is committed to maintaining an effective court infrastructure across the State to provide the community with improved access to justice services. That is in contrast to the position the previous Government adopted when it closed 39 courts in a single day, a decision that took our court system to the verge of collapse. By contrast, this Government rebuilt the court system and has opened new courts, rebuilt old ones and is continuing to do so. The Government has provided $250 million over 10 years to upgrade court facilities around the State, including improved access for court users and jurors with disabilities. During 2006-07 the Government opened more new courtrooms than it had at any time in the previous century.

The Government is committed to ensuring our court system can meet the demands of the largest jurisdiction in Australia, and this year two major independent reports have praised the strong performance of our courts and have stated that New South Wales is the national leader in efficiency, timeliness and professionalism.