ACT COURTS COMPUTER UPGRADE CONTINUES

The upgrade of the ACT’s court computer systems will continue in 2005-06, with an allocation of $203,000 in the Budget, Chief Minister and Attorney General Jon Stanhope said today.

“It is imperative that our system of justice keeps pace with rapid advances in computer technology, and the courts are the linchpin of the criminal justice system,” Mr Stanhope said.

“The latest Budget allocation will keep the Territory on track to completely replace the existing 12-year-old systems by 2008-09.”

The replacement program is being progressively implemented, with the Court of Appeal completed in 2002-03 and the criminal jurisdictions of the Supreme Court and the Children’s Court benefiting this year.  The high-volume Magistrates Court criminal jurisdiction is programmed for 2006-07.  The new funding will meet existing licensing and maintenance commitments as well as providing for the detailed development work required across the life of the project.

“New court case management systems allow much easier, faster and more accurate exchange of information between the police, the courts and correctional authorities than paper-based systems,” Mr Stanhope said.

“In the ACT, we are taking the time to get those processes right, rather than rushing into an expensive system that might not meet all the needs of the users or the Government.”

Under the current Courts Information Technology Strategic Plan, the computer systems in the civil jurisdictions of the Territory’s courts will be replaced in 2007-08 and 2008-09.  Those new web-enabled systems will bring with them other business advantages, allowing for the automated filing of documents and for on-line case status enquiries to be made available to external users.
Statement ends