Nicole McKee: Minister for Courts on speeding up the processes for Judge Alone Trials

The Minister for Courts says updating procedures for running Judge Alone Trials is a good step in the mammoth task of speeding up the courts. 

Newstalk ZB can reveal it'll be implemented countrywide tomorrow.  

It introduces registrar-led prosecution and defence teleconferences three weeks before trial and allows courts to start earlier to review and prioritise scheduled cases. 

Minister Nicole McKee told Mike Hosking pilots they've run have seen good results. 

She says it's based on the need of the trial and the readiness of the person being prosecuted, especially for those sitting on remand for a long time. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
And to the courts where we've updated protocols for judge
alone trials. They'll be implemented nationwide from tomorrow. It involves
teleconferences between prosecution and defense three weeks before that trial
to help streamline the process. We've also got progress on
sentencing adjournments. They've dropped from thirty six to twenty nine
percent with nearly twenty nine hundred fewer delays. All of
the sounds reasonable. Nicle the Keys, the Minister for Courts
with of course, and is back with us very.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Good morning, Good morning, Mike.

Speaker 1 (00:23):
As all of this come together as this material, we
are getting better and tracking will Is that fair?

Speaker 2 (00:30):
Yes, we're on the right track. I mean this is
a mammoth task trying to speed up the court system,
and I think we've been trying it over successive governments.
I think where we've really won with this one as
having the Chief District Court Judge Timon who come in
and say I'm going to get on board with what
the Beehives directing, how can we do this? And he's

(00:51):
come out with some really good timeliness protocols, programs, case
review hearing and if I care, Mike, just let me
run through very quickly what it all means. So three
weeks before a trial, as you said, Register of the
Court's going to contact the prosecution and defense and say
are you ready to proceed? And if you are, what's
the priority Like has this person been on remand for

(01:13):
a long time? And if that person has, let's put
them first and then they'll set a hearing down. Then
it we'll get to the day of the trial. And
when we have the day of the trial instead of
its starting at ten o'clock in the morning and the
judge's right, is everybody ready? The judge is going to
start at nine or nine point thirty, go through all
of the cases that are there and say are these

(01:33):
people ready? And have we got the priority right? So
those that have been on remand get heard first, and
when they say yes we are, or no, this one's not,
this guy's going to change his mind and he's now
going to plead guilty, he actually comes off that list.
And when he comes off that list, it frees up
the space for someone else. So those people will know
when through the day that they will be there. And

(01:54):
further to that, with the case review notes or hearing
guidelines that's going to come out on Friday as well.
It means that if a person says I plead not
guilty within ten days, the registrar is going to get
hold of the prosecutor and say what's your evidence for this,
just to check whether or not it's the case that's
worthwhile going through and where we've piloted it, we've seen

(02:15):
good results. So this, on top of the other changes
we're making, it's going to make huge improvements. And it's
what ACT has always said, we want fair and timely
justice for our victims, and we're starting to get their minds.

Speaker 1 (02:27):
It also seems logical apart flary this judge alone thing, though,
is that justice being seen to be done? Are we
open to a bit of postcode judging or justice potentially?

Speaker 2 (02:38):
No, I don't think so, because it's actually going to
be based on the need, the readiness of the trial
and the need of the person who is being prosecuted,
especially those ones that have been sitting on remand for
a long time. We've had quite a few people plead
not guilty and change their pleas later on in the process,
and that's what causes a lot of delays because we

(03:00):
set down these hearing dates and then they change their minds,
but they change their mind on that day, So I
don't think it has anything to do with where you live.
It's more about speeding up the entire process so you
get seen early and there's that tiny justice for victims
as well.

Speaker 1 (03:14):
Good stuff to co appreciate it. Nicole McKee, who's the
Justice Minister or Minister for Court Social say she's not
the Justice Minister for Goldsmith's. For more from the My
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