1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,200 Speaker 1: So the Chief Justice in an annual report tells the 2 00:00:02,279 --> 00:00:05,080 Speaker 1: su stress and lack of facility, shortage and resources lawyers 3 00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:08,200 Speaker 1: and access to justice. Serious offending that's murder and manslaughter 4 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:11,960 Speaker 1: now makes up seventy six percent of all new trials 5 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:14,400 Speaker 1: in the High Court. Paul Goldsmith, Justice, Minister of Courses, 6 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: with us, good morning, good morning, we've got alarm bells 7 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:18,600 Speaker 1: or this is what we know? 8 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 2: Well, yes, this is what we know. There has been 9 00:00:23,640 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 2: a lot of pressure in the justice system and so 10 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:30,320 Speaker 2: we're doing everything we can to focus on speeding up 11 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 2: the processes of the courts and recognizing the obviously the 12 00:00:33,560 --> 00:00:36,440 Speaker 2: very difficult and demanding role that our judges play on 13 00:00:36,479 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 2: behalf of the rest of society. You know, quite often 14 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:41,920 Speaker 2: the dealing with people on the worst day of their lives, 15 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:44,000 Speaker 2: with one of the most stressful days of their lives. 16 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 2: So it is a difficult environment. But we're doing everything 17 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 2: we can to help on that front. On that front, 18 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 2: what are you doing, well, we're increasing the number of 19 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:56,000 Speaker 2: High Court judges. We've got a bill in the House 20 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:58,360 Speaker 2: lifting it by two and we're actually going to amend 21 00:00:58,360 --> 00:01:02,200 Speaker 2: that to have the possibility to go up by another three. 22 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 2: On top of that we're investing in a whole lor 23 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 2: of new courthouses around the country. We've got a real 24 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:10,480 Speaker 2: focus on digitizing the system. You know, we've inherited a 25 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 2: situation which has been going back over many decades now 26 00:01:13,720 --> 00:01:16,200 Speaker 2: where it's still a very paper based system and we've 27 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:17,760 Speaker 2: got to get it modernized. 28 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: From personal experience, I just when I was last in court, 29 00:01:20,920 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: I couldn't believe how nineteen seventy three it looked. Is 30 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:25,680 Speaker 1: that being fixed and fixed rapidly? 31 00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:32,160 Speaker 2: Yes, the fundamental thing is around digitizing the whole process 32 00:01:32,959 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 2: and not having people wandering around. We're big folders, and 33 00:01:35,840 --> 00:01:38,120 Speaker 2: so that we're underway. We should be in the family 34 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:42,840 Speaker 2: court starting that next year, well, actually implementing it next year. 35 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:44,679 Speaker 2: So they've been working for a couple of years. They 36 00:01:44,680 --> 00:01:47,039 Speaker 2: have tried in the past and failed, so we're making 37 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:49,000 Speaker 2: sure we get it right this time. Around the length 38 00:01:49,040 --> 00:01:51,360 Speaker 2: of trials, they talk of how much is that about 39 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 2: the law and maybe the law needs amending, or how 40 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 2: much of it's about soft judges that go, yes, you 41 00:01:55,640 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 2: can have an adjument, Yes you can have a delay 42 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:03,360 Speaker 2: and maybe then get stretched out. Well, the Chief Justice 43 00:02:03,400 --> 00:02:04,920 Speaker 2: referred to the fact that there's quite a lot of 44 00:02:05,840 --> 00:02:09,640 Speaker 2: trials now with multiple players. I saw one in the 45 00:02:09,639 --> 00:02:12,000 Speaker 2: Bay plenty recently with you know, more than ten people 46 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 2: were charged, and so that is more complicated. But you know, 47 00:02:15,200 --> 00:02:20,040 Speaker 2: look that there's always been complications in the system. I mean, 48 00:02:20,080 --> 00:02:22,880 Speaker 2: we're obviously focusing on reducing crime overall, and that will 49 00:02:22,880 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 2: flow through, but in the meantime, there's a lot of 50 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:24,919 Speaker 2: work to do. 51 00:02:25,760 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: Was that a very delicate way of not criticizing I 52 00:02:28,320 --> 00:02:30,920 Speaker 1: just wonder how much butt coverings going on here, and 53 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 1: the judges toughened up a little bit, things might happen 54 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:34,800 Speaker 1: a little bit quicker. 55 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 2: Well, well, yes, I can see you're sort of trying 56 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:41,920 Speaker 2: to go me into criticizing the judges, and I'm not 57 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:43,760 Speaker 2: going to do that because it's you know, it is 58 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 2: actually an important sort of institutional norm that we have 59 00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:49,520 Speaker 2: a separation of powers't I couldn't agree more. 60 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:52,440 Speaker 1: But when the Chief Justice goes this is broken, and 61 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:54,959 Speaker 1: one of the fairly obvious parts that is broken might 62 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,639 Speaker 1: be because of their behavior. You've got to push back 63 00:02:57,639 --> 00:02:58,200 Speaker 1: of it, don't you. 64 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 2: Well, Well, what I would say is that all of 65 00:03:01,840 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 2: the all of the different parts of the justice system 66 00:03:04,720 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 2: have to contribute to improving and so speeding up the 67 00:03:08,480 --> 00:03:12,240 Speaker 2: courts is a classic systems challenge where you've got corrections, 68 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,840 Speaker 2: you've got police, you've got the judges, you've got the judiciary, sorry, 69 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 2: you've got the justice system. You've got a whole lot 70 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:20,640 Speaker 2: of other different players and everybody tends to blame each 71 00:03:20,680 --> 00:03:24,560 Speaker 2: other sometimes for the situation. And so that's why we 72 00:03:24,600 --> 00:03:26,639 Speaker 2: get everybody into the same room on a regular basis 73 00:03:26,680 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 2: and say, well, look, what are the twenty things we 74 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 2: can do that will help. And once we've done those, 75 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 2: what are the next twenty things we can do will help? 76 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:36,520 Speaker 2: Partly legislation, partly you know, technology and making sure the 77 00:03:36,520 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 2: Wi Fi works, the basic sort of stuff, and partly 78 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 2: the rules of the courts are an issue. And we 79 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,320 Speaker 2: work our way through all of those things and a 80 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:46,040 Speaker 2: collective and collaborative fashion got. 81 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,640 Speaker 1: Yourself out of that one nicely. Paul Goldsmith, Justice Minister. 82 00:03:49,160 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 83 00:03:52,160 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 2: news talks. 84 00:03:52,720 --> 00:03:55,920 Speaker 1: It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast 85 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.