Family violence and Koori court jobs among scores identified for cuts at Victorian magistrates court
The Victorian magistrates court is moving to shed more staff, with family violence roles and eight jobs in the Koori court among its latest proposed cuts, in a move the state's Aboriginal legal service has described as a 'slap in the face'.
A 'change proposal' document, seen by Guardian Australia, shows the court is planning to cut 48 roles across its programs, services and support teams, to be replaced with just 35 new roles – a net loss of 13 staff.
It follows plans to slash 24 jobs from the magistrates court's corporate services department, reported by Guardian Australia earlier this month, as part of the government's efforts to cut about 3,000 positions from the public service to reign in its budget.
Some of the roles proposed for removal include the Koori court's manager, project manager, two team leaders and an administrative worker. The court, which has been running since 2002, provides an alternative setting for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who plead guilty to low-level criminal offences.
The Umalek Balit program, which supports Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people dealing with family violence matters, would also lose three senior staff – its principal practitioner, practice manager and women's practice manager.It follows the government's introduction of tougher bail laws, which are expected to lead to an influx of new cases coming before the magistrates court.
Ali Besiroglu, head of legal services at the Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (Vals), said he was 'shocked and dismayed' by the plan to cut staff at the Koori court.
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'At a time when we are expecting a significant rise in the number of Aboriginal people being denied bail under harsher new bail laws, maintaining culturally capable legal assistance through the Koori court is more critical than ever.'
Besiroglu said access to the court was protected under Victoria's charter of human rights and that cutting staff was a 'direct attack' on those rights and a 'profound act of disrespect' to the elders involved.
He also said Vals had been calling for the Koori court's powers to be expanded to include bail hearings, which made the proposed cuts a 'slap in the face'.
'These cuts will have devastating impacts on First Nations communities, making the criminal legal system even more culturally unsafe at a time when the number of First Nations people being held on remand is expected to rapidly increase,' Besiroglu said.
The plan includes merging the existing teams into a new 'Koori justice team', which would handle the design, oversight and improvement of court programs and cultural support for First Nations people. Only two new roles would be created under this change.
Thirteen jobs related to family violence services are also set to be cut, with the court pointing to the recent completion of 12 specialist family violence courts across the state as the reason.
The document, dated 9 April and proposing a 1 July start, admits staff numbers would drop.
It said the court would manage with 'reprioritisation' of work, 'streamlining' tasks and 'removing duplication'.
It added that the changes 'come at a time when the Victorian public sector is facing fiscal challenges' and the new structure would be more 'sustainable'.
The shadow attorney general, Liberal MP Michael O'Brien, said the proposal was 'reckless and shortsighted' and should not go ahead.
'With the supposed 'tougher' bail laws now in force, we know there will be even more demand on our courts. Cutting another 13 vital staff, on top of the 24 lost earlier this month, will only make it harder for the justice system to keep up,' O'Brien said.
'The hardworking staff at the magistrates court deserve better, and Victorians deserve a court system that is properly resourced to deliver justice swiftly and fairly.'
A court spokesperson said in a statement it was committed to cultural safety and maintaining Koori family violence expertise in the courtroom, which 'is not being reduced as part of the proposed changes'.
It said the changes were still only proposals and that staff were encouraged to take part in the consultation process.
The spokesperson said the court 'is proposing some organisational changes aimed at positioning the court to continue to be effective in our service to the people of Victoria and deliver on our strategic goals, while responding to the current fiscal environment'.
A Victorian government spokesperson said the court was responsible for determining staffing arrangements and 'they advise there will be no cut to court-based frontline staff who deliver Aboriginal-specific programs – nor will there be any diminished services'.
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