The Supreme Court of Victoria’s 2020-21 annual report was tabled in Parliament on 18 November 2021.
The report highlights how the Court continued to deliver justice for the Victorian community while operating in line with public health advice.
Some of the achievements across areas and divisions of the Court included the following:
- The Court of Appeal reduced the median time to finalise matters (10.4 to 9.2 months for criminal matters and 9.0 to 8.6 months for civil matters), while meeting clearance rate targets.
- Virtual hearings in the Criminal Division enabled a variety of applications and preliminary hearings to take place, preparing cases for jury empanelment when trials could resume.
- A cross-divisional Group Proceedings List was established in the Commercial Court and Common Law Division to enhance the management of group proceedings (class actions).
- The Appropriate Dispute Resolution Centre saw 748 cases referred to judicial mediation, 8 per cent more than in the previous reporting period. Settling matters at judicial mediation saved 1,105 trial days, with Costs Court mediations saving a further 552 hearing days.
- The Probate Division’s new electronic filing system, RedCrest-Probate, streamlined the application process for grants of representation, leading to a 27 per cent increase in applications made by people representing themselves.
In 2020-21, the Court continued to leverage digital technology to facilitate hybrid and remote hearings through digital enhancements such as courtroom upgrades, video conferences, live streams and electronic filing. During the reporting period, about 94 per cent of matters involved digital litigation support.
Registry services were delivered seamlessly throughout 2020–21 and a range of online engagement initiatives also garnered strong community interest. The second season of the Court’s award-winning podcast Gertie’s Law launched in May 2021. As of 30 June 2021, episodes from both seasons of the podcast were downloaded 348,880 times across 144 countries.
The Court Education Program moved online, which saw more than 1,000 students from 38 schools across Victoria participate in 42 online sessions with 19 judges. The Law Library of Victoria held over 400 online events with more than 2,700 legal practitioners and members of the public from Australia and overseas.
Chief Justice Anne Ferguson and Chief Executive Officer Matt Hall PSM thanked Court users, judicial officers and staff for the way they have responded to the changes brought on by the pandemic.
“It has been incredibly important to keep the Court operating for the benefit of litigants and the broader community,” said the Chief Justice and CEO.
“That has only been possible due to the cooperation and dedication of all who come to, and work in, our Court, physically and remotely.
“Looking ahead, we will continue to enhance our operations and remain as focused as ever on how we can best serve the Victorian community.”