SIMON Corbell says reforms to the ACT Courts have led to reductions in waiting times in the Supreme Court and Coroner’s Court, according to today’s Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services.
Simon says the report shows changes implemented in the ACT’s courts have resulted in the ACT Supreme Court finalising more matters than are being lodged, resulting in a 56% reduction in criminal matters pending and a 59% decrease in civil matters pending since 2009-10.
Pending cases in Coroner’s Court have reduced by 47% over the past two years, due to a focus by the court on backlog reduction, combined with legislative amendments removing unnecessary matters from the jurisdiction of the coroner.
“Since 2009 the ACT justice system has undergone a series of changes and these figures show that the reforms are continuing to produce successful results,” Simon said.
“Matters are moving through the courts more quickly and the ACT Supreme Court has continued to reduce backlog through intensive listing procedures and increase use of mediation with excellent results.
“The number of civil cases active in the Supreme Court after 12 months has gone down by 73% since June 2010.
“The hard work and innovation by the ACT Law Courts continue to improve access to justice in the ACT community.
“I now look forward to the implementation of the new Integrated Case Management System and the new Supreme Court building as ways to further enhance our quality justice system.”
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