Magistrate’s frustration over court delays, with over 8000 Magistrate Court cases backlogged
A magistrate has aired his frustrations to a full court regarding delays in progressing court cases, stating ‘bottlenecks’ in the system result in further set backs. How many cases are on the waitlist:
Tasmania
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A Hobart magistrate expressed his frustrations to a full court on Tuesday of “bottlenecks” in the court system, which mean some of Tasmania’s over 8000 magistrates cases “move nowhere”.
Magistrate Reg Marron presided over the morning hearings in the Hobart Magistrates Court when he shared his dismay at the number of adjournments requested for cases, with many citing issues in receiving evidence or obtaining legal representation.
Mr Marron then directed his comments to a large group of Police Academy students who were viewing the day’s proceedings at the rear of the court.
“This is not a great example for you all,” he said.
“We have moved nowhere today.
“We have this system bottleneck.”
Magistrate Robert Webster, acting in his capacity as a coroner, stated in July that case backlogs were causing delays in handing down of coronial findings.
He stated that from the end of July, 964 pending coronial cases were in the system, equating to around 320 cases each for the three full-time Tasmanian coroners.
A Department of Justice spokesperson confirmed that as of June 30 this year, there were 8767 matters pending completion in the Magistrates Court to be completed by a total of 17 Tasmanian magistrates – equating to around 515.7 cases each.
The spokesperson also said a total of 885 criminal matters were before the Supreme Court, excluding appeals and civil matters while there were 903 cases in the Coroners Court.
“Lodgements in all courts increased in the 2023-24 financial year,” the spokesperson said.
“Further data on caseloads and backlogs will be included in the Courts’ Annual Reports when published.
“There are many factors that contribute to court backlogs, many of which are beyond the control of the Court.
“The Tasmanian Government has committed to support the Tasmanian Supreme and Magistrates Courts to review their case management and listing procedures with the aim of reducing decision and finalisation times and to ensure the efficient use of court resources.”
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