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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2023-08-30 Daily Xml
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Director of Public Prosecutions Office

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI (Leader of the Opposition) (14:31): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Attorney-General about the office of public prosecutions.

Leave granted.

The Hon. N.J. CENTOFANTI: The report into the workplace experience within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has highlighted that the attrition rate has increased from 16 per cent to 36 per cent in 2016 to 2022. It has also revealed that 80 per cent of current employees had considered leaving the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. This is in addition to some respondents suggesting the reputation of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions may be contributing to the current recruitment challenges, with lower applications being received for advertised roles.

The Advertiser has reported that the Director of Public Prosecutions, Martin Hinton KC, said that 'the report is perception and experience, not necessarily reality' of life in his office. My questions to the Attorney are:

1. Given the importance of justice services and the dramatic impact further employees leaving the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions would have, what will the Attorney do to help restore the reputation of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and encourage the next generation of legal professionals to consider the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions as a future workplace?

2. Can the Attorney inform the chamber of how he will support the implementation of the report's 20 recommendations and if there are any time lines that he will use to review the process of the implementation of those recommendations?

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Minister for Aboriginal Affairs, Attorney-General, Minister for Industrial Relations and Public Sector) (14:33): I thank the honourable member for her question. It's a technical matter, but the honourable member has variously referred to the 'office of public prosecutions' and the 'Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions'. I think the correct title is the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

In relation to the turnover rate and what is going to be done about it, if the honourable member read the first paragraph in the executive summary she would be aware that was the whole point of the report. That's why this report was done: in relation to high turnover rates within the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. That's why the report was done, these recommendations were made and why the director has committed to implementing all 19 recommendations directed at his office.

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