Attorney-General Welcomes Release of CSV Strategic Asset Plan

Attorney-General of Victoria, The Hon Martin Pakula MP, has welcomed the release of the Strategic Asset Plan:

Statement

I congratulate the Courts Council and Court Services Victoria on the launch of this important and comprehensive Strategic Asset Plan for CSV.

The Plan provides a framework for the development of Victoria's courts and tribunals for the next 15 years, to ensure the safe, secure and sustainable delivery of court and tribunal assets, through expert asset management.

The Plan follows an extensive review of CSV's current assets and a detailed analysis of future needs, based on demand and population growth projections.

There are 75 court buildings in Victoria across 66 locations. They provide an outstanding service but improvements are needed.

That's why the Government committed $58.1 million to urgent upgrades to safety and security at courts across Victoria in the 2015-16 Budget.

For Melbourne's CBD, service demand for our courts is projected to increase by an estimated 27 per cent by 2031.

Metropolitan Melbourne currently consists of 4.5 million people and over the next 15 years is estimated to grow at a rate of 1.7 per cent per annum.

Areas such as the south-east and south-west corridors have already seen unprecedented population growth.

Metropolitan Melbourne currently accounts for approximately 42 per cent of service demand in Victoria and the increase in population will continue to drive an increase in demand.

In response, the Plan recommends the following priorities for the courts:

• enabling specialist court infrastructure. These changes will improve access to justice for vulnerable people, including for victims of family violence;
• ensuring safe, future-proofed, fit-for-purpose court buildings that optimise efficiency and cater to future demand;
• delivering further developments to the Melbourne CBD Legal precinct, where the majority of jurisdictions have their State headquarter courts;
• delivering developments in Melbourne growth corridors; and
• implementing the Court Service Delineation model - a different way to approach public assets and court facilities.

While the Plan acknowledges the importance of the Melbourne CBD and the needs of individual court buildings, it goes beyond the CBD to focus on a State-wide strategy that is forward thinking and innovative.

It looks at the continued growth of the Melbourne metropolitan area and the challenges that face our State's regional courthouses.

The Government's Access to Justice Review, released on 4 October 2016, highlighted that access to justice goes beyond the courtroom to user-focused service provision, such as mobile and flexible services available outside of conventional business hours. This Plan is an example of the justice system adapting to meet evolving community expectations.

The Plan will help ensure courts and tribunals in Victoria will meet the changing and growing demands of our community.

The Government will give it close consideration in future decisions about investment in our justice system, and continue to work with the Courts Council, CSV and individual jurisdictions to ensure the delivery of cost-effective and high quality justice services for all Victorians.