Page 3561 - Week 12 - Thursday, 20 September 1990
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the seminar or the seminars - will be widely advertised and the discussion paper will be circulated to all interested parties.
I should like to take this opportunity of making it clear that the Government does not yet have any settled views on the policy which should be adopted in relation to the conclusions reached by Mr Curtis. I must emphasise that the Government will not be making decisions about the Territory's court system in any abstract or theoretical fashion. The Government is anxious to have the benefit of the views of all concerned with the courts.
I can assure members that any views which they may wish to convey to me, either on their own behalf or on their constituents' behalf, will be very carefully considered when the Government is determining the appropriate policy. I should hope that it will be possible for the Assembly to treat this issue with the degree of dignity and importance which it merits. I am hopeful that there will be a worthwhile and vigorous debate on this important subject, which is of importance not only to judicial officers and members of the legal profession but also, of course, to the public.
It should be made clear that, whenever decisions are eventually taken, the legislation relating to the courts will need to be amended and the related amending Bills will provide the Assembly with an opportunity to further consider in depth the important issues relating to the administration and operations of the courts and tribunals.
I think everyone here would share my view that the basic need is for a system of justice which can deliver effective justice without imposing undue financial demands on its principal users, the members of the general public. This need could be met by integrating the administration of the Supreme Court and the Magistrates Court. This could involve the unifying of accommodation, listing and enforcement procedures, and sharing common services, such as the library and computer services, statistical data collection and workload measurement.
Mr Curtis' paper contemplates that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court could be given the overall authority for operating the Territory's courts, but perhaps under a council of the judges of both the courts. However, it is important to note that Mr Curtis proposes that the Chief Justice would not be responsible for the day to day internal working of the lower court, but to quote the discussion paper:
... the integrated structure is unlikely to work effectively unless there is a single source of authority at the head of that structure which is responsible for its overall operation.
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