Magistrates’ Court unable to say how many cases impacted by delayed hearings
Victoria’s infamously overloaded Magistrates’ Court system is staring down the barrel of massive case backlogs once operations return to normal, but how will it recover?
Outer East
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Victoria’s magistrates courts — notoriously backed up as they are — plan to resume normal operations by the end of the year, but it’s unclear how they’ll be able to catch up on the backlog of cases.
Courts were partially closed last month in order to limit the number of people passing through court buildings to try and fight the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
The changes meant all non-urgent matters for less serious offences were adjourned until mid June, with a hearing date to be scheduled for later in the year.
Guilty pleas, filing hearings, bail applications, family violence cases and the issuing of warrants are still proceeding.
But those charged on summons with a new offence were initially told to expect a wait of at least five months before their first Magistrates’ Court appearance.
And massive delays are expected once things return to normal, particularly because courts were already struggling with a heavy case load to begin with.
Magistrates’ Court spokeswoman Sharon Rainsbury said all court locations were open and court users’ whose matter were adjourned would be notified of their new court date.
She couldn’t say how the court planned to catch up on its case load or how many cases were estimated to have been impacted by the delays.
Ms Rainsbury also said the changes to court operations were expected to last “for the duration of the coronavirus situation”.
“The Magistrates’ Court has implemented a number of operational changes over the past month that have been designed to reduce the number of people coming into our buildings for the duration of the coronavirus situation,” Ms Rainsbury said.
“All court locations are open and continue to hear urgent matters … the court is planning for a return to normal operations later in the year. Stakeholders and court users will be updated once we have finalised our planning.”
Ms Rainsbury said audio visual links and phone appearances were being stepped up in order to help reduce the number of people physically attending court.
And she said the safety of court staff, the judiciary and court users were paramount.
Legal Aid chief executive Louise Glanville said no staff had been stood down despite the reduced case load passing through the courts, but face-to-face interactions with clients had been scaled back.
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“We are now delivering legal advice and duty lawyer services over the phone, rather than face-to-face, except in exceptional circumstances that demand an in person service,” Ms Glanville said.
“Justice services are an essential service at this challenging time … we are prioritising the health and safety of our staff while continuing to work with our partners to ensure people can access justice.”