eBrief Project

96 The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (25 October 2018). Can the Attorney-General advise:

1. Were there any problems in the implementation of the eBrief Project?

2. Has the eBrief Project been found to be compatible with all participating agency electronic environments?

3. Is the pilot of the eBrief Project complete and is the system being rolled out to all participating agencies?

4. What is the cost of the eBrief Project and when will the project be completed?

5. When did the pilot program for prosecution of violent offending against indigenous victims start?

6. When will it finish?

7. What outcome will be considered a success?

8. How much does the pilot cost?

9. If successful, will the Attorney-General commit to rolling the program out more broadly?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer): The Attorney-General has provided the following advice:

1. There were no material problems leading up to the practical completion and implementation of the current stage of the eBrief system.

2. Briefs entered into the system are in commonly used electronic formats (such as PDFs) that can be imported into, and accessed through, agency information management systems.

3. The planned pilot was completed in January 2018 and accepted as successful by all participating agencies and a representative sample of private defence lawyers. A separate pilot will be initiated when the new major indictable reform stabilises.

4. To date, $1.5 million of the expected total of $2.5 million has been spent on the eBrief Project.

5. The pilot was established as a result of an MOU in July 2017.

6. There is no proposed end date for the pilot.

7. The pilot aims to increase the engagement of Aboriginal victims and witnesses within the criminal justice sector and improve the experience of those witnesses involved in the prosecution of serious offences. The pilot also aims to increase the number of relevant serious offences reported by Aboriginal complainants being resolved by a plea or trial.

8. To date, the pilot has been fully funded by the agencies involved within existing resources.

9. This is subject to further consideration of the outcomes of the pitot.