Blitz in courts to cut waiting times for trials

10/12/04
A $2million blitz in the District Court is expected to clear the backlog of cases and slash four months off the waiting time for future criminal trials.
Attorney General Jim McGinty said two senior lawyers would be appointed as Commissioners of the District Court between February and June next year to hear civil cases like breaches of contract and personal injury claims.
This in turn would free up two District Court judges to hear additional criminal cases such as serious assaults, sex offences, drug and fraud offences.
"The appointment of two commissioners will reduce the amount of time it takes for a criminal case to go to trial by about four months," Mr McGinty said.
"This is a significant boost for victims of crime and witnesses who experience unnecessary hurt and anxiety while waiting for their case to be heard.
"It means they can see justice done and have closure sooner.
"It is also important that the courts hear criminal trials as early as they can because justice delayed is justice denied."
At the moment, the average waiting time for a new criminal case to go trial in the District Court is 73.3 weeks - almost 18 months.
The appointment of the two commissioners will reduce the waiting time by 20 per cent to just over 13 months.
The $2million will cover salaries for the commissioners, administrative costs as well as extra funding for the Director of Public Prosecutions and Legal Aid.
Chief Judge Antoinette Kennedy said the new commissioners coupled with recent court reforms would clear hundreds of backlogged criminal cases.
"There is no doubt that the provision of two civil commissioners in the New Year and the Criminal Code Amendment Act which came into effect on May 21, 2004 are the most significant steps taken to assist the Court to reduce the backlog in the history of the Court," she said.
Significant reforms to the legal system to help reduce the waiting time for District Court trials have included:

• provisions in the Criminal Code Amendment Act to transfer less serious or 'either way' offences from the District Court to the Magistrates Court;
• the abolition of committal hearings;
• the introduction of the Court of Appeal and the State Administrative Tribunal at the beginning of next year; and
• administrative efficiencies introduced by Chief Judge Kennedy such as tighter controls on trial adjournments and requirements for full and early disclosure.

Mr McGinty said the initiatives came hard on the heels of a Productivity Commission report that showed Western Australia's Supreme Court was the most efficient in the land for criminal trials.
The report found that WA's Supreme Court dealt with 83 per cent of criminal cases within six months and 96 per cent of matters within 12 months.
This compared with the national average of 56 per cent for Supreme Court cases heard within six months and 83 per cent within 12 months.

Attorney General's office: 9220 5000