Alice Springs court ‘critically understaffed’, Chief Judge Morris places restrictions on bail hearings

One Territory court is ‘critically understaffed’, according to a leaked email, which also reveals how the Territory’s chief justice is trying to deal with the issue. Find out more.

Alice Springs Local Court. Picture: Gera Kazakov

One Northern Territory court could stop hearing bail applications as early as 2.30pm, according to a leaked email, due to being “critically understaffed” and having “capacity issues”.

As of Wednesday, any bail applications in the Alice Springs Local Court not finalised by 3pm would be marked as “not reached and adjourned”, a new directive from Deputy Chief Judge Sarah McNamara said.

The directive – which has been approved by Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris – is one of three “limits” which were sent in an email to court staff and lawyers on Wednesday afternoon.

Chief Judge Elizabeth Morris. Picture: Che Chorley

The 3pm cut off was subject to change, the email said, with the cut off time also being brought forward to 2.30pm when “registry staff numbers are critically low”.

“Where there is adequate staff, bail applications may be heard after 3pm,” the email said.

“A judge may commence a bail application after 3pm if it is expected that bail will not be granted on the day but that a bail assessment report be ordered.”

Any “changes” during the day would be “indicated” by the Judge presiding over the chambers in court two, the email said.

These new arrangements will be in place “until further notice”, but the email said the court was hoping “capacity issues are resolved in early 2025”.

It comes weeks out from the Alice Springs Local Court winding down for the Christmas period.

Alice Springs Local Court. Picture: Gera Kazakov

Come December 16, all specialists lists at the court – such as domestic violence, hearings, directions hearings, and preliminary examination mentions – will be suspended to January 3.

“There will be Judges presiding for new in custody’s and urgent listings, with a custody-cut off time of 10am each day,” the NT local court website said.

The limit in bail applications is the latest in a tough year for the courts, with prisons and watch houses often at capacity as lawyers report their clients sit on remand for days awaiting a hearing.

Speaking in Alice Springs in the wake of the bail changes, Braitling MLA Josh Burgoyne said “we’ll be working with every agency to ensure that our law justice processes can be operational in the best way moving forward”.

“I think what’s really important in regards to crime is that we are working as a government to deliver on our election promises to reduce crime,” he said.

“We’ve already come into government, we’ve implemented a range of law changes and we are ensuring that they are being delivered.”

An NT Courts spokesman said the “reasons for staffing issues in Alice Springs are multi-faceted and cannot be attributed to any one factor”.

“Courts are trying to manage the workload without re-locating staff to Alice Springs,” he said.