No courthouse closures or cutbacks, guaranteed

Member for Northern Tablelands Richard Torbay welcomed last week a commitment from the NSW Government, which guaranteed no closures or cutbacks in services to rural and regional courthouses as well as carrying a review of services currently provided.
Mr Torbay put the question directly to the Attorney General during question time in Parliament last week.
“Community members have expressed concerns to me over recent years about cuts to courthouse services, particularly in the smaller centres such as Tenterfield, Walcha and Warialda,” Mr Torbay said.
“While some of those proposed cuts were avoided, I sought a commitment from the State Government from the floor of Parliament by asking a direct question about plans for these services in rural and regional areas.
“I was pleased to secure emphatic support from the Attorney General that no courthouse closures would occur and in fact that a review about the adequacy of services and current funding levels is planned.
“This has the potential to boost services in country areas.
“The government also confirmed that a review into the courthouse services at Tenterfield is being completed with a view to a possible upgrade of those facilities.
“This is good news, particularly in addition to the $15 to $20 million court precinct redevelopment for Armidale due to be opened in 2013.”
Mr Torbay also wrote to the government in April asking that consideration be given to the introduction and implementation of CCTV and video-conferencing technology into rural and remote courthouses.
“This type of technology is already widely used in metropolitan facilities and other larger court facilities regionally,” Mr Torbay said.
“Benefits could be delivered through reduced demands on police, corrective services and Attorney General’s staff and resources.
“The retention of courthouse services in rural and regional areas is vital to allow equitable access to justice for the whole community.”