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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-05-14 Daily Xml
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COURT REGISTRIES

Mrs REDMOND (Heysen) (14:46): My question is to the Attorney-General. On what basis does the Attorney-General seek to justify the closure of the court registries in Ceduna, Coober Pedy, Kadina and Naracoorte on all but sitting days?

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON (Croydon—Attorney-General, Minister for Justice, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, Minister for Veterans' Affairs) (14:46): The registries of those courts could get by with one full-time equivalent employee, or less than one full-time equivalent employee. In fact, there are two full-time equivalent employees for occupational health and safety reasons. We think that many of the functions of those registries outside the period when the court sits could be provided by other means.

Really, it does not lie in the mouth of the Liberal opposition to be talking about issues such as this when, to a man and a woman, it voted in this house to abolish resident magistrates in the country. The last Liberal government removed every resident magistrate, and the attorney-general of blessed memory, the Hon. K.T. Griffin, argued that you should not have resident magistrates on principle. Well, Mr Speaker, this Labor government—

The SPEAKER: Order!

Ms CHAPMAN: On a point of order, Mr Speaker. This is nothing to do with the question.

The SPEAKER: The question is about court registries. I think that the Attorney is drawing somewhat of a long bow. I will allow him to finish his answer if he wraps it up quickly.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: I do not see that courts make much sense when you have not got a magistrate. You need magistrate first, registry second.

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