Tuesday 30 January 2024
Labor’s courts crisis puts Victorians at risk
Victorians continue to be punished for the incompetence of the Allan Government with new data revealing the state has the worst and most expensive court backlogs in Australia.
The Productivity Commission’s Report on Government Services examined every Australian jurisdiction’s court backlog for 2022-23 and confirmed Victoria has:
- Magistrates’ Court criminal case wait times of more than 12 months the worst of any mainland state at 18.2 per cent.
- Magistrates’ Court civil case wait times of more than 12 months the worst of any state at 36.2 per cent.
- County Court criminal case wait times of more than 12 months the second worst of any state at 26.6 per cent.
- Supreme Court criminal case wait times of more than 12 months the worst of any mainland state at 28.5 per cent.
- Cost per finalisation of Supreme Court criminal cases the highest in the country at $63,139 per case.
- Cost per finalisation of Supreme Court civil cases the highest of any state in the country at $11,636 per case.
Shadow Attorney-General, Michael O’Brien, said: “The independent data shows that Victoria’s court system is in crisis. The Allan Government’s neglect means Victorians not only face the longest waits but must pay the most to have their day in court.
“Given the truism that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’, this data underlines that in Victoria there is no justice under Labor.
“A Labor Government that can waste $600 million dollars on cancelling the Commonwealth Games seems incapable of investing in our courts to ensure Victorians can have access to justice.
“This is unacceptable and it is wrong. These appalling criminal case backlogs directly threaten the safety of Victorians as they provide a reason for courts to generously hand out bail to violent offenders due to the lengthy delays in matters being heard.
“Victorians will continue to be put at risk and denied justice until Labor stops ignoring the crisis in Victoria’s justice system.”