Southport Magistrate has little hope for Supreme Court on Gold Coast

There’s little hope a permanent Supreme Court will be established on the Gold Coast even as calls for more resources continue.

A SOUTHPORT Magistrate has expressed little hope a permanent Supreme Court will be based on the Gold Coast as calls for more resources for the overworked justice precinct continue.

During a committal proceeding earlier this week Southport-based Magistrate Andrew Sinclair was asked if he would be committing a matter to the Brisbane or Southport Supreme Court.

“I think we are still waiting to get a Supreme Court judge,” he said.

“I could encourage that process by committing to Southport but I don’t know how far that will get us.”

Southport-based Magistrate Andrew Sinclair doesn’t have high hopes for a Supreme Court.

Calls for a permanent Supreme Court have been raging for almost a year with Southport criminal lawyers telling the Bulletin they are travelling to Brisbane for matters at least once a week.

This week those calls expanded to include a push for a fourth judge in the city’s District Court after it was revealed there are no number one priority trial spaces left in 2019 in the city’s court calendar.

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A fourth judge has been visiting the city this week to help out with the workload but the calendar continues to fill.

Queensland Law Society president Bill Potts said the state government needed to get on board with expanding resources not only for a Supreme Court and a fourth judge but also space for a family and federal and court and the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

“The government should start considering forward planning for the Gold Coast,” he said.

Mr Potts said the Gold Coast was the sixth largest city in the country and it was ridiculous the court was so under resourced.

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But he warned the legal profession needed to get behind the circuit sittings of the Supreme Court due in September.

It will be the second time in a decade the Supreme Court has sat on the Gold Coast.

This September marks the second time in a decade the Supreme Court has sat on the Gold Coast.

The state government repeatedly said last year the resourcing was the responsibility of Chief Justice Catherine Holmes.

Ms Holmes said her position had not changed from last year in that there was not enough work to warrant a permanent court.

“Supreme Court circuit to Southport has been allocated in the second half of this year, if there is sufficient work,” she said.

Chief Judge Kerry O’Brien said district court lists across the state were growing.

“The court must utilise its resources in the best possible way to meet these demands across the State,” he said.