Southport Supreme Court sitting in danger after claims not enough work to fill two weeks

A Supreme Court sitting has been scheduled for Southport in September this year. But there are doubts the sitting will go ahead.

SUPREME Court sittings planned for Southport later this year are in danger of being cancelled due to a lack of work.

This is despite dozens of Gold Coast lawyers reporting they travel to Brisbane for matters two or three times a week.

Lawyers report the round trip from the Gold Coast to Brisbane can take up to four hours, leading to skyrocketing costs for clients.

Solicitors said because the Supreme Court sittings are so inconsistent, it is difficult to plan ahead.

LITTLE HOPE FOR SUPREME COURT ON GOLD COAST

The Supreme Court held a call-over in Brisbane recently to determine if there would be enough work to justify a planned two-week sitting in Southport in September.

A spokeswoman for Chief Justice Catherine Holmes told the Bulletin that at this stage there was not enough work to fill the sittings.

“The planned circuit sittings will proceed only if there are sufficient matters to justify a circuit sittings,” she said.

The court urged legal practitioners to put their hand up to have their matters heard during the proposed September sitting.

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Nyst Legal associate Jonathan Nyst said there was “no doubt” the Gold Coast had enough work for a permanent Supreme Court in Southport.

SUPREME COURT CIRCUIT ROLLS INTO GOLD COAST

“The Coast has always been Brisbane’s little brother, but its population and commercial activity are now such that, were a permanent Supreme Court justice sitting here, they would certainly be kept busy,” he said.

“Cobbling together ad hoc temporary sittings, as has been tried in the past, just isn’t the answer because court proceedings need to be scheduled and carefully planned months in advance.”

Gatenby Criminal Lawyers director Michael Gatenby said earlier this week he tried to have a matter listed for the Southport sitting but was told by the Justice that September was too far away and the matter needed to be heard earlier.

“If you are not going to list it because it is too far out, you can’t say there is not enough work,” he said.

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Howden Saggers Lawyers solicitor Joe Wicking, who has a trial listing for the sittings, said he was working to identify matters that might be suitable for the same sitting.

“It’s not that we don’t want a Supreme Court here. There just may be logistic reasons we have not been able to list matters,” he said.

Multiple solicitors said it was in their clients’ best interests to have matters held as soon as possible, rather than delaying until September because the court would be on the Gold Coast then.

Queensland Law Society president Bill Potts said it was up to the legal community to get behind the sittings.

SUPREME COURT BID UNLIKELY FOR GOLD COAST

He said the State Government needed to plan for the population growth in the area.

A second call-over will be held next month to determine if more work has been identified for the sitting.

The Supreme Court sat in Southport for the first time in more than a decade in August last year.

During the two-week period the court completed 14 sentences and conducted a manslaughter trial.

Southport is the second busiest magistrates court in the state and a large number of serious matters are ultimately finalised in the Supreme Court in Brisbane.

Smaller regional cities including Rockhampton, Cairns and Townsville all have permanent Supreme Courts despite having significantly smaller populations.