Top prosecutor pleads for cash

VICTIMS, accused people and prosecutors are all suffering because the prosecution service is underfunded and cannot keep up with the growing backlog of criminal cases without more resources, the state’s top prosecutor says.

In his annual report for last financial year, which was tabled in state parliament this week, Director of Public Prosecutions Daryl Coates, SC, said the quality of justice in Tasmania was suffering.

Mr Coates said longer waits for trials meant accused people who would not normally be granted bail were being bailed.

He said victims were being traumatised by long delays in hearing criminal cases and prosecutors were suffering high levels of stress because of high workloads.

Mr Coates said committal hearings were up 50 per cent in recent years, bail applications were up 400 per cent and sexual assault and family violence matters were up 250 per cent.

“The effect of this increased workload and the resulting delays … is significant for victims, accused, witnesses, the quality of justice and also my staff,” he said.

“The increased criminal backlog and committals cannot be adequately addressed without considerable recurrent ongoing funding, being provided to the office,” he said in his report.

“This is demonstrated by the fact the budget of the office has decreased in real terms by 12 per cent since 2012-13 despite the increase in workload.

“Further, this does not take into account the increase in complexity of committals due to the increase in the percentage of committals involving sexual assault.”

Mr Coates said the backlog of criminal cases in the state had grown from 382 in 2016-17, to 443 in 2017-18 to 627 last financial year.

The result of the growing delays was witnesses’ memories of events faded or they became uncooperative, hard to find or lost interest in testifying.

Mr Coates said the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court had offered to hold more trials.

“I informed him I did not have sufficient resources to meet such a request,” Mr Coates said.