COURTS PRECINCT

The Hon. P. CAICA (Colton) (14:33): My question is to the Attorney-General. What impact will the plans to transform the Supreme Court precinct in Victoria Square have on the delivery of justice?

The Hon. J.R. RAU (Enfield—Deputy Premier, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning, Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (14:33): I thank the member for Colton very much for that very important question. The government is committed to the delivery of significant improvements to the justice system.

I was very pleased today, accompanied by the Premier and the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, to attend at the dilapidated and tired looking Supreme Court building for the purpose of announcing to the assembled multitudes that the beginning of the process for the renewal of the courts precinct is actually rolling out. The Minister for Transport and Infrastructure is actually handling that aspect of the matter, and he is handling it extremely well, but I want to talk about the implications inside the building rather than the physical environment.

Our vision is that South Australia should have the best courts precinct of its kind in Australia. Underpinning this is a state-of-the-art building and, hardwired into that building, contemporary infrastructure such as all the modern communications equipment and so on. The transformation of the courts precinct will strengthen the efficiency reforms that we are currently working through and complement them with new opportunities.

Last year, we delivered on our guilty pleas reform to reduce the inefficiencies in the criminal justice system. Furthermore, the government is working with the Chief Justice to reform civil litigation, and we are open to all avenues to improve service delivery in the justice sector. In fact, $1 million was allocated to the justice improvement project in the last budget. This flows directly into this project.

The most recent Report on Government Services shows improvement in benchmark rates and, in particular, finalisations and clearance rates, but we recognise that we can and must still drive for further improvements in the justice system. The courts must cease, ultimately, to be judge-centric and refocus on serving the people of South Australia with swift, effective and efficient justice. That is why we are developing and redeveloping the higher court facilities that are in dire need of upgrading.

These upgrades will improve the delivery of justice in South Australia and complement the other reforms we are undertaking. We know that South Australians want our courts to deliver fast and fair justice. This government is committed to delivering the best possible outcome for the taxpayers of South Australia, and a justice precinct that is focused on providing an efficient service for all South Australians is central to that.