Page 3254 - Week 09 - Wednesday, 23 August 2017
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(b) at the hearing of 23 June 2017, the Select Committee on Estimates 2017-2018 heard that funding for the DPP “goes nowhere near meeting the needs of the office, particularly in the context of continuing efficiency measures”;
(c) the Committee also heard “the DPP must make compromises including selection of cases as well as compromises to the level of preparation and degree of expertise brought to cases”;
(d) the Committee stated “there is a valid argument for ensuring the DPP’s funding enables it to meet increasing prosecution service requirements to a high standard”; and
(e) the Justice and Community Safety Directorate is facing efficiency measures of $4.9 million, which includes the DPP as shown in the table provided to the Committee by the Directorate on notice; and
(2) calls on the Government to implement the Select Committee’s recommendation that the:
(a) Office of the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions be excluded from the application of the efficiency dividend, and that all programs in this area be maintained or expanded as required to achieve the stated policy outcome;
(b) ACT Government seek submissions from the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions as to the funding required to attract and retain senior prosecutors and special provisions be applied to achieve this aim; and
(c) Office of the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions be authorised to prepare and present its own budget submissions, independent of the Justice and Community Safety Directorate.
At its heart, this motion addresses the undeniable problem in our justice system that is, the lack of funding for the DPP. We have spoken about this before, in question time. Indeed prior to that we have raised questions in annual reports hearings for a number of years and estimates hearings for a number of years. Today was not the first time we have asked questions about this matter in the Assembly. On each occasion the answer from the government is either, “No,” or “We’ll get back to you.” That is not good enough. Delay is no longer an acceptable option, not for the DPP, and certainly not for the adequate funding of justice in the territory. This is a serious problem in a vital area of government and it is not a time for the dismissive or evasive answers that we have seen. It is time to accept that justice in this territory is not properly resourced and that justice in the territory is suffering as a result.
Although this has been raised in the past, the most recent annual report from the DPP should have raised alarm bells. In that report the DPP stated:
… the stark reality for my Office has been that while the demands on the Office have increased, resources have actually decreased through so called “efficiency dividends” and the like.
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