Attorney General Mark Dreyfus opens new family court facilities at Civic Square

The move came after a security incident in 2019 when a man attempted to jump the front counter of the Launceston Family Court while children were present.

It is believed he was attempting to gain access to children in a restricted area of the courts.

The event was presided by Commonwealth Attorney General Mark Dreyfus and Chief Justice of the Family Court Will Alstergren.

Speaking to The Examiner, Justice Will Alstergren said that the former court facility in Launceston "was not fit for purpose."

"We're very lucky that nothing serious happened," he said.

"We had several instances which demonstrated that we need a much more secure, safe place to conduct family law and the kind of family law cases that we have - cases involving family violence, cases involving people who are deeply stressed."

The former building on the corner of George Street and Brisbane Street posed several security risks, including everyone going through the same lifts and litigants in family cases coming face to face.

Previous incidents in the old premises included a lawyer being spat on by a litigant, attempts at intimidating lawyers and other individuals, and lawyers being ambushed while coming down in the lift.

Justice Alstergren said the new amenities would ensure that "we can most effectively deal with people who are going through this terrible time in their lives as quickly and as efficiently as possible."

Launceston has "a very high rate of risks or allegations of family violence," Justice Alstergren said. "We have to make sure we have proper facilities to be able to deal with each and every one of those in the safest way possible."

In his opening, Attorney General Mark Dreyfus outlined many features of the new building, including a secure corridor, a saferoom, a safe access bathroom, and a video conferencing room for remote attendance.

"Access to dispute resolution needs to be achieved in a way that ensures the safety and security of all parties and respects the rights and dignity of all participants. These new premises have features which will greatly enhance the security and overall experience for everyone using the court, including families, court staff, and legal practitioners," Mr Dreyfus said.

In his speech, the Chief Justice noted that in this financial year, 87 per cent of parenting applications in Launceston had been mandatorily referred to child safety services in Tasmania.

"Seventy-eight per cent of the applications have alleged child abuse or risk of child abuse. That is the highest of any registry in the country. Eighty-four per cent of parents and carers have alleged that they've experienced family violence. This is also one of the highest proportions in the country," Justice Alstergren said.

The new facilities also include office space for Legal Aid Tasmania and the Family Advocacy and Support Service.

The new premises are on level 1 of Henty House in Civic Square.

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