STATE BUDGET DELIVERS BIGGEST EVER SPEND FOR TASMANIA’S JUSTICE SYSTEM

Elise Archer MP, Attorney-General, Minister for Justice

The 2022-23 State Budget is delivering for all Tasmanians, with significant investments in our justice system to keep Tasmanians safe and ensure our criminal and civil justice system operates as efficiently and effectively as possible.

This year’s Budget represents the biggest ever spend toward the justice system which includes $26 million for a range of projects across my justice portfolio, in addition to more than $11 million for the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings, and almost $9 million toward critical upgrades to Justice IT infrastructure.

The Tasmanian Liberal Government remains committed to better protecting our children, and the Budget also includes $2.5 million toward the development and implementation of a Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework.

This will deliver another key recommendation from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, with the legislation already well advanced and a Bill to be introduced to Parliament later this year.

We will invest $2.2 million to continue to support the coordinated response to the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings.

Additionally, we are continuing to invest in alternative dispute resolution, the judiciary and the courts, and reforming our tribunals with $7.6 million to support the new Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) and its operations.

The Budget also provides further support for the prevention of family violence, with $4.9 million invested for the Safe at Home Family Violence Service System, to meet increased demand and support the delivery of Safe at Home, Tasmania’s nationally recognised integrated response to family violence.

This includes $784,000 for the Department of Justice, $447,000 for Tasmania Legal Aid, $2.5 million for the services currently delivered by the Department of Communities Tasmania, $635,000 for the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management, and $488,000 for the Department of Education.

This will give these agencies the resources they need to better respond and help victim-survivors of family violence, while supporting our significant law reform agenda.

We will invest a further $2.2 million per annum to enhance ICT systems, technology, service capability and governance across our justice system.

We are also investing $125,000 per annum across the Forward Estimates to increase resourcing of the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, to ensure that our hard-working prosecutors are well resourced which will further assist in reducing the backlog of pending criminal matters. This investment is on top of the additional $6.4 million over the Forward Estimates announced in the 2021-22 Budget

A further $1.2 million for the Office of the Ombudsman has also been allocated, to provide for the additional staff needed to fulfil its statutory functions.

Importantly, these new investments will complement the commitments we took to the election that are also funded in this Budget, including increased funding for the legal assistance sector.

This is a Budget that delivers for all Tasmanians and will help keep Tasmanians safe, while supporting the provision of an efficient and effective court and justice system that meets the community’s needs and expectations.