THE backlog of adult criminal cases in the Magistrates Court of Tasmania increased by 23 per cent in 2014-15, according to its annual report.
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The pending caseload spike, which excludes defendants who have bench warrants associated with them, came as the then chief magistrate warned of inadequate court resources.
Retired North-West magistrate Melanie Bartlett expressed similar concerns about insufficient court resources when she left the bench last week.
Then chief magistrate Michael Hill, writing in the 2014-15 annual report, said he hoped the highest levels of government decision-makers would take heed of his concerns.
Mr Hill, who retired on October 21, said resources were ’’ inappropriately stretched.’’
‘‘Magistrates need an appropriate level of administrative support to properly deliver justice to the Tasmanian community and decisions need to be made with that objective in mind,’’ he stated.
‘‘In my view the quality of justice cannot be measured by a budget bottom line only.’’
The report reveals that the court’s 2014-15 expenditure was at a four-year low, $11.4 million, compared to the four-year high of more than $12.3 million in 2011-12.
Attorney-General Vanessa Goodwin said on Thursday the government was working with new chief magistrate Michael Brett on ensuring the court operated as efficiently and effectively as possible.
Dr Goodwin said the government was also developing legislation to update and streamline court procedures, in addition to finalising the appointments of two magistrates to fill the current vacancies in the North-West.
While the annual report showed an increase in pending adult criminal cases, from 5938 cases in 2013-14 to 7312 in 2014-15, the child protection backlog decreased by 59 per cent, from 109 cases in 2013-14 to 45 in 2014-15.
The report states that performance indicators might be affected by matters outside the court’s control, while the processing of cases takes time and such time does not necessarily equal delay.