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❓ The Attorney General provides a breakdown of disbursements and details regarding advocacy training courses for Crown and State Prosecutors from 2002-2005, including costs, course content, and instructors.

AnsweredQoN 454Legislative Assembly

Asked

22 September 2005

Member

Ms S.E. Walker

Portfolio

Attorney General

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

18 October 2005

Response time

26 days

1. Disbursements in each year are as follows: (a) $1,771.09 (b) $2,146.20 (c) $7,814.03 2. The form of the course in 2002 - 2003 was a 3 day Advocacy Training Programme teaching 18 Crown Prosecutors pleas day and trial advocacy skills. The course was held off-site within Perth and was run by senior prosecutors from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The form of the courses in 2003 - 2004 were as follows: - A 2-day Short Matters Advocacy Course was held for 17 Crown Prosecutors at the Central Law Courts. The course was run by senior prosecutors from within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and included a presentation by a Western Australian Judge. The course was held in a workshop style, with prosecutors performing mock advocacy work. - A 2-day Trial Advocacy Course was held off-site but within Perth for 10 Crown Prosecutors and was run by senior prosecutors from within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The course was held in a workshop style, with prosecutors performing mock advocacy work. The form of the courses in 2004 - 2005 were as follows: - A 2-day Indigenous Witnesses Workshop (including advocacy training) was held within the Office for 20 State Prosecutors. Guest speakers, including a speaker from the Northern Territory who ran the workshop. The course involved lectures, discussions and workshops focusing on how to speak with and adduce evidence from indigenous witnesses. - Four State Prosecutors were sent to the Law Society of WA Advocacy Weekend in Busselton, which was run by a number of Judges from the Supreme and District Courts of Western Australia, and also a number of Queens Counsel and Senior Counsel. - A State Prosecutor had his course fees paid for a 3-day workshop on Advanced Cross-Examination Skills run by the Australian Advocacy Institute in Sydney. - A 2-day Trial Advocacy Workshop was held for 10 State Prosecutors. The course was held off-site but within Perth and was run by senior prosecutors from within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. The course was held in a workshop style, with prosecutors performing mock trial advocacy work. 3. Other than the disbursements outlined above in answer to question 1, the only cost of the preparation for and running of advocacy training is the cost of staff time.

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