Court backlog slashed as justice system speeds up

Courts Minister Nicole McKee is pleased to see faster justice for victims, with the backlog of criminal cases in the District Court falling 20% since April 2023, the equivalent of around 1,700 cases.

"After five years of continuous growth in the backlog of criminal cases in the District Court, I'm pleased to see the backlog is turning around under this Government, fixing what matters for victims," says Mrs McKee.

"Much of this can be put down to a whole of justice sector approach, with multiple agencies and the judiciary working together to deliver timely access to justice. There is more work to be done, but this progress is a sign that our approach is working."

"Implementation of recent operational initiatives as part of the District Court Timely Justice Programme has improved the efficiency, timeliness, and performance of the court system.

Priority-based rostering and scheduling has also seen judicial resources reprioritised to District Court locations with the largest backlogs. Other measures in the timely justice programme include:

• the nationwide rollout of the Chief District Court Judge's Judge-alone Trial Protocol and Case Review Hearing Guidelines
• implementation of the judiciary's Bail Application Scheduling Framework in 37 court locations to ensure bail and electronically monitored bail cases are only set down when the matter is ready to be heard and court time isn't wasted
• introducing the Duty Lawyer Operational Policy in 15 court locations to reduce unnecessary adjournments and deliver more meaningful outcomes at first appearances
• the implementation of Same-Day Sentencing which enables more sentencings to proceed on the day guilt is established, where appropriate, in 41 court locations across the country

"Being able to make such a significant impact on the backlog in the District Court's criminal jurisdiction contributes to the wider goal of providing timely access to justice.

"Justice delayed is justice denied. This Government is focused on fixing what matters to make a real difference, getting justice delivered faster for victims, offenders, and communities."