NIGHT COURT NEEDED

MP calls to extend sittings by five hours

SITTING hours at the Geelong Magistrates’ Court should be extended by at least five hours a day to deal with the judicial backlog created by COVID-19, a Western Victoria MP says.

Stuart Grimley said the expansion of the usual 10am to 4pm hours was needed as a “matter of urgency.”

“Geelong desperately needs night court. It has worked really well in Melbourne in filtering out bail applications from day-to-day court operations, so other important hearings can be hear,” Mr Grimley said.

“With population growth like Geelong has seen comes growth in crime. We need to ensure the legal system flows without unnecessary delay.”

Mr Grimley’s plea comes as Geelong magistrates have this week begun to deal with matters online where jail isn’t an available punishment.

Mr Grimley said a weekend sitting at Geelong should also be considered, and a late Friday sitting would ensure accused people weren’t unnecessarily held over the weekend.

Dribbin & Brown senior lawyer Wendy Gibbons, who regularly appears at the Geelong Magistrates’ Court, said the court had taken steps to minimise the backlog.

Ms Gibbons said matters where accused people weren’t likely to go to jail were being heard by magistrates appearing via online platform Webex in a pilot expected to last months. She said the online court was needed because Geelong court staff, magistrates and police prosecutors were currently split into two teams that alternated weeks they appeared in court.

“Because the ones at home haven’t been hearing matters, you are cutting in half on any given week the magistrates that can hear a case,” Ms Gibbons said.

“I think that night court was always going to be a possibility in Geelong but has been put off due to COVID. Maybe it’s another tool down the track.”

Ms Gibbons said a hurdle to night court might be the additional security, police and court staff needed.

Night court has operated at the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court since early 2017 and changed course to deal with bail and remand hearings about a year later. That court currently hears bail and remand applications between 10am until 9pm daily.