❓ Hon Barbara Scott asks about outstanding judgments in the WA Family Court, and Hon Sue Ellery responds with statistics, reasons for delays, and actions taken to address the issue.
AnsweredQoN 415Legislative Council
Asked
28 June 2005
Member
Portfolio
parliamentary secretary representing the Attorney
General
QuestionView source ↗
(1) How many outstanding judgments are there in the Western Australian Family Court system under the following criteria - (i) two months; (ii) three months; (iii) four months; and (iv) five months and over? (2) Why are there so many lengthy delays? (3) What does the Attorney General intend to do to minimise judgment times? Hon SUE ELLERY
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The number of judgments outstanding as at 21 June 2005 was as follows - (i) three; (ii) five; (iii) four; (iv) eleven. (2) Outstanding judgments are being experienced due to a combination of four main factors: workload; the need for two judges and two magistrates to take leave over the past six months; the court being required to accommodate the Full Court commitments of the Chief Judge, which may be as much as three weeks out of four; and one long trial of a complex case. (3) The Attorney General has worked, and will continue to work, with the judiciary to ensure that judgments are delivered expeditiously, bearing in mind their independence of government. Examples of recent increased resourcing are as follows: in May 2003, following submissions and a review of the work of the Family Court of Western Australia, the commonwealth Attorney General agreed to provide an additional $4.1 million over four years to provide for increased demand; an additional judge was appointed in September 2003 to assist to clear a backlog of matters before the court, and this arrangement continued until February 2005; and, during the same period, the court was able to increase the number of hours worked by one of the magistrate positions from 0.7 FTE to 1.0 FTE.
(ii) three months; (iii) four months; and (iv) five months and over?
(iii) four months; and (iv) five months and over?
(iv) five months and over?
(3) What does the Attorney General intend to do to minimise judgment times? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The number of judgments outstanding as at 21 June 2005 was as follows - (i) three; (ii) five; (iii) four; (iv) eleven. (2) Outstanding judgments are being experienced due to a combination of four main factors: workload; the need for two judges and two magistrates to take leave over the past six months; the court being required to accommodate the Full Court commitments of the Chief Judge, which may be as much as three weeks out of four; and one long trial of a complex case. (3) The Attorney General has worked, and will continue to work, with the judiciary to ensure that judgments are delivered expeditiously, bearing in mind their independence of government. Examples of recent increased resourcing are as follows: in May 2003, following submissions and a review of the work of the Family Court of Western Australia, the commonwealth Attorney General agreed to provide an additional $4.1 million over four years to provide for increased demand; an additional judge was appointed in September 2003 to assist to clear a backlog of matters before the court, and this arrangement continued until February 2005; and, during the same period, the court was able to increase the number of hours worked by one of the magistrate positions from 0.7 FTE to 1.0 FTE.
Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The number of judgments outstanding as at 21 June 2005 was as follows - (i) three; (ii) five; (iii) four; (iv) eleven. (2) Outstanding judgments are being experienced due to a combination of four main factors: workload; the need for two judges and two magistrates to take leave over the past six months; the court being required to accommodate the Full Court commitments of the Chief Judge, which may be as much as three weeks out of four; and one long trial of a complex case. (3) The Attorney General has worked, and will continue to work, with the judiciary to ensure that judgments are delivered expeditiously, bearing in mind their independence of government. Examples of recent increased resourcing are as follows: in May 2003, following submissions and a review of the work of the Family Court of Western Australia, the commonwealth Attorney General agreed to provide an additional $4.1 million over four years to provide for increased demand; an additional judge was appointed in September 2003 to assist to clear a backlog of matters before the court, and this arrangement continued until February 2005; and, during the same period, the court was able to increase the number of hours worked by one of the magistrate positions from 0.7 FTE to 1.0 FTE.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The number of judgments outstanding as at 21 June 2005 was as follows - (i) three; (ii) five; (iii) four; (iv) eleven. (2) Outstanding judgments are being experienced due to a combination of four main factors: workload; the need for two judges and two magistrates to take leave over the past six months; the court being required to accommodate the Full Court commitments of the Chief Judge, which may be as much as three weeks out of four; and one long trial of a complex case. (3) The Attorney General has worked, and will continue to work, with the judiciary to ensure that judgments are delivered expeditiously, bearing in mind their independence of government. Examples of recent increased resourcing are as follows: in May 2003, following submissions and a review of the work of the Family Court of Western Australia, the commonwealth Attorney General agreed to provide an additional $4.1 million over four years to provide for increased demand; an additional judge was appointed in September 2003 to assist to clear a backlog of matters before the court, and this arrangement continued until February 2005; and, during the same period, the court was able to increase the number of hours worked by one of the magistrate positions from 0.7 FTE to 1.0 FTE.
(1) The number of judgments outstanding as at 21 June 2005 was as follows - (i) three; (ii) five; (iii) four; (iv) eleven. (2) Outstanding judgments are being experienced due to a combination of four main factors: workload; the need for two judges and two magistrates to take leave over the past six months; the court being required to accommodate the Full Court commitments of the Chief Judge, which may be as much as three weeks out of four; and one long trial of a complex case. (3) The Attorney General has worked, and will continue to work, with the judiciary to ensure that judgments are delivered expeditiously, bearing in mind their independence of government. Examples of recent increased resourcing are as follows: in May 2003, following submissions and a review of the work of the Family Court of Western Australia, the commonwealth Attorney General agreed to provide an additional $4.1 million over four years to provide for increased demand; an additional judge was appointed in September 2003 to assist to clear a backlog of matters before the court, and this arrangement continued until February 2005; and, during the same period, the court was able to increase the number of hours worked by one of the magistrate positions from 0.7 FTE to 1.0 FTE.
(ii) five; (iii) four; (iv) eleven.
(iii) four; (iv) eleven.
(iv) eleven.
(3) The Attorney General has worked, and will continue to work, with the judiciary to ensure that judgments are delivered expeditiously, bearing in mind their independence of government. Examples of recent increased resourcing are as follows: in May 2003, following submissions and a review of the work of the Family Court of Western Australia, the commonwealth Attorney General agreed to provide an additional $4.1 million over four years to provide for increased demand; an additional judge was appointed in September 2003 to assist to clear a backlog of matters before the court, and this arrangement continued until February 2005; and, during the same period, the court was able to increase the number of hours worked by one of the magistrate positions from 0.7 FTE to 1.0 FTE.
(ii) three months; (iii) four months; and (iv) five months and over?
(iii) four months; and (iv) five months and over?
(iv) five months and over?
(3) What does the Attorney General intend to do to minimise judgment times? Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The number of judgments outstanding as at 21 June 2005 was as follows - (i) three; (ii) five; (iii) four; (iv) eleven. (2) Outstanding judgments are being experienced due to a combination of four main factors: workload; the need for two judges and two magistrates to take leave over the past six months; the court being required to accommodate the Full Court commitments of the Chief Judge, which may be as much as three weeks out of four; and one long trial of a complex case. (3) The Attorney General has worked, and will continue to work, with the judiciary to ensure that judgments are delivered expeditiously, bearing in mind their independence of government. Examples of recent increased resourcing are as follows: in May 2003, following submissions and a review of the work of the Family Court of Western Australia, the commonwealth Attorney General agreed to provide an additional $4.1 million over four years to provide for increased demand; an additional judge was appointed in September 2003 to assist to clear a backlog of matters before the court, and this arrangement continued until February 2005; and, during the same period, the court was able to increase the number of hours worked by one of the magistrate positions from 0.7 FTE to 1.0 FTE.
Hon SUE ELLERY replied: I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The number of judgments outstanding as at 21 June 2005 was as follows - (i) three; (ii) five; (iii) four; (iv) eleven. (2) Outstanding judgments are being experienced due to a combination of four main factors: workload; the need for two judges and two magistrates to take leave over the past six months; the court being required to accommodate the Full Court commitments of the Chief Judge, which may be as much as three weeks out of four; and one long trial of a complex case. (3) The Attorney General has worked, and will continue to work, with the judiciary to ensure that judgments are delivered expeditiously, bearing in mind their independence of government. Examples of recent increased resourcing are as follows: in May 2003, following submissions and a review of the work of the Family Court of Western Australia, the commonwealth Attorney General agreed to provide an additional $4.1 million over four years to provide for increased demand; an additional judge was appointed in September 2003 to assist to clear a backlog of matters before the court, and this arrangement continued until February 2005; and, during the same period, the court was able to increase the number of hours worked by one of the magistrate positions from 0.7 FTE to 1.0 FTE.
I thank the member for some notice of this question. (1) The number of judgments outstanding as at 21 June 2005 was as follows - (i) three; (ii) five; (iii) four; (iv) eleven. (2) Outstanding judgments are being experienced due to a combination of four main factors: workload; the need for two judges and two magistrates to take leave over the past six months; the court being required to accommodate the Full Court commitments of the Chief Judge, which may be as much as three weeks out of four; and one long trial of a complex case. (3) The Attorney General has worked, and will continue to work, with the judiciary to ensure that judgments are delivered expeditiously, bearing in mind their independence of government. Examples of recent increased resourcing are as follows: in May 2003, following submissions and a review of the work of the Family Court of Western Australia, the commonwealth Attorney General agreed to provide an additional $4.1 million over four years to provide for increased demand; an additional judge was appointed in September 2003 to assist to clear a backlog of matters before the court, and this arrangement continued until February 2005; and, during the same period, the court was able to increase the number of hours worked by one of the magistrate positions from 0.7 FTE to 1.0 FTE.
(1) The number of judgments outstanding as at 21 June 2005 was as follows - (i) three; (ii) five; (iii) four; (iv) eleven. (2) Outstanding judgments are being experienced due to a combination of four main factors: workload; the need for two judges and two magistrates to take leave over the past six months; the court being required to accommodate the Full Court commitments of the Chief Judge, which may be as much as three weeks out of four; and one long trial of a complex case. (3) The Attorney General has worked, and will continue to work, with the judiciary to ensure that judgments are delivered expeditiously, bearing in mind their independence of government. Examples of recent increased resourcing are as follows: in May 2003, following submissions and a review of the work of the Family Court of Western Australia, the commonwealth Attorney General agreed to provide an additional $4.1 million over four years to provide for increased demand; an additional judge was appointed in September 2003 to assist to clear a backlog of matters before the court, and this arrangement continued until February 2005; and, during the same period, the court was able to increase the number of hours worked by one of the magistrate positions from 0.7 FTE to 1.0 FTE.
(ii) five; (iii) four; (iv) eleven.
(iii) four; (iv) eleven.
(iv) eleven.
(3) The Attorney General has worked, and will continue to work, with the judiciary to ensure that judgments are delivered expeditiously, bearing in mind their independence of government. Examples of recent increased resourcing are as follows: in May 2003, following submissions and a review of the work of the Family Court of Western Australia, the commonwealth Attorney General agreed to provide an additional $4.1 million over four years to provide for increased demand; an additional judge was appointed in September 2003 to assist to clear a backlog of matters before the court, and this arrangement continued until February 2005; and, during the same period, the court was able to increase the number of hours worked by one of the magistrate positions from 0.7 FTE to 1.0 FTE.
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