Tasmania’s long-promised ‘Justice Connect’ system remains largely undelivered almost six years after it was announced, with the attorney-general unable to provide a completion timeline.
Announced in June 2020, the IT system was due to be fully operational by 2023.
It is intended to modernise court administration and improve case management and has been seen as key to addressing the state’s chronic court backlogs.
Independent MP David O’Byrne pressed Attorney-General Guy Barnett on the delays during Question Time on Thursday, describing backlogs as a “debilitating blight” on Tasmanian communities.
“Victims are forced to relive trauma through repeated delays and defendants face extended periods of uncertainty,” he said.
“Most components of this system are still yet to be implemented.”
Barnett acknowledged the system’s complexity but defended progress, pointing to the jury management system going live in November 2022 and the corrections component launching in April 2025.
He said $36.4 million had been allocated to the program, with nearly all of it already spent.
“We’re absolutely getting on with the job,” he said.
“They know it’s a priority and the answer is as soon as possible.”
Work on the courts and prosecution stream – the components most directly linked to reducing delays – is still underway.
When O’Byrne pressed for a specific delivery date, Barnett offered to share progress reports with members of parliament.
The exchange came a day after he announced a public consultation on court backlogs, inviting submissions to a review led by Lloyd Babb SC.
The announcement acknowledged “ongoing pressures remain and require a sustained, system-wide response”, despite existing measures.
O’Byrne welcomed the review but said the IT system should already be in place.
“This system is meant to modernise the administrative practices of the legal industry, improving case management procedures, which would in turn significantly reduce delays,” he said.
Public submissions to the Babb review close on April 15.
