New laws tabled to tackle COVID-19 court backlogs and delays

New legislation has been tabled in Parliament to address court backlogs that have worsened since the COVID-19 crisis.

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CONGESTION in the Supreme Court of Tasmania will be tackled with a range of legislative reforms introduced in Parliament this week.

Attorney-General Elise Archer said she’d tabled a Bill addressing case backlogs in consultation with the courts and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

She said the legislative changes aimed to remove unnecessary bail hearings from the Supreme Court and ensure minor crimes were dealt with instead by the Magistrates Court.

Ms Archer said the reforms, which she also planned to help streamline cases between the two courts, would reduce the Supreme Court’s backlog, which had worsened under COVID-19 restrictions.

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