Hon Chester Borrows
Minister for Courts
29 November 2013
Electronic court decision the right one
Courts Minister Chester Borrows says that the Government is determined to deliver a modern, electronic court.
“Transitioning our courts from their antiquated, paper-bound way of working into a modern, electronic model is a huge
challenge that offers huge benefits for a faster court system,” says Mr Borrows.
“We’ve already made significant progress, with more and more court services now available online. We’ve also learnt a
lot about what we need, and what better technology can give us.
“This has led the Ministry of Justice to re-evaluate plans and look again at whether they were on the best track to
deliver the electronic court that everyone involved in the justice system wants.”
The electronic system for judges’ decisions in criminal courts was the third part of the courts Electronic Operating
Model project. The first part, electronic filing of Police decisions, has been operational since July. The second part,
which will allow Corrections to file pre-sentence reports electronically, is on track to start in early December.
“No one is denying the value in judges having an electronic tool to record their decisions,” says Mr Borrows.
“However, simply taking the existing processes and making them digital will not transform the Ministry in the required
way.
“By suspending this part of the project for now, the Ministry can focus their efforts on opportunities that are now
clear, especially around building an electronic court file as the basis for transforming how our courts work.”
Mr Borrows also rejected calls for an Auditor General investigation into the project.
“The Ministry’s re-evaluation of the project has been done in consultation with the State Services Commission and the
Government Chief Information Officer, both of whom agree that the Ministry has made the right decision in reassessing
its modernisation efforts and placing phase three on hold. I cannot see what an additional inquiry would add to those
that have already been done, except for unnecessary expense.”
ends