Page 3242 - Week 11 - Thursday, 12 September 1991
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The office arrangements for the domestic violence interviewing, conciliation and settlement areas at the Childers Street complex have never been satisfactory, from a whole range of views. I am very keen that our registrars now receive and are accorded better accommodation status for their functions and the public dealing with them. The Residents Rally commends the Bill to the house.
MR CONNOLLY (Attorney-General, Minister for Housing and Community Services and Minister for Urban Services) (11.47), in reply: Mr Speaker, I am pleased that there is general support for this Bill. It is only a minor matter in some respects - a change of name - but it does reflect the increasing recognition, perhaps, of the important role that the registrars, now clerks, perform in the courts.
It is interesting that in every jurisdiction in Australia now, with the exception of Western Australia, the person performing this role in civil jurisdiction in lower courts is named the registrar. In Western Australia that has been recommended. In most jurisdictions the persons performing this role in the criminal jurisdiction are also moving from clerk to registrar.
I noted Mr Stefaniak's allusion to the fact that this is something of an historic change. The 60-odd years of the Magistrates Court's existence was celebrated last year by a function at the court. A very entertaining and informative article by Jack Waterford in the Canberra Times listed some of the more memorable characters and events in that court. It might be appropriate - and I will perhaps suggest this to the Chief Magistrate - that something similar happen to allow the profession and those involved with the courts to celebrate the passing of the title of clerk and the introduction of the title of registrar. Perhaps that could be held in the park outside the Magistrates Court, provided that having a quiet beer in that park remains lawful in the absence of the banning of drinking in public places. It would be most unfortunate if the assembled magistrates, registrars and members of the profession were to be the first to be hit by a raid on public drinking.
The change of name that is being progressed through the house was recommended by the working party that was established towards the end of the Commonwealth's period of supervision of the Magistrates Court. That party comprised officers of the court, the Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department and the Australian Government Lawyers Association. I was an office bearer of that association in the two years before I came into this Assembly. It was certainly a major effort to get the Commonwealth to move on some terms and conditions and levels of classification of these officers. The Commonwealth, for many years, had, I think, let the position of administrative support staff in these courts languish somewhat. That major review of the courts resulted in the appointment of additional magistrates and some movement in the classifications of officers.
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