MORE than $3 million will be allocated in the upcoming 2021/22 ACT Budget to appoint a dedicated coroner to the ACT. 

In early October, the ACT government commit $3.8 million and of this, $3.2 million over four years  will go towards appointing a dedicated coroner and support staff, $432,000 in 2021-22 will go towards hiring a full-time special magistrate and support staff to reduce a backlog of cases that are mainly criminal matters, and $206,000 in 2021-22 will go to supporting additional positions within the director of public prosecutions and legal aid.

Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker welcomed the government’s commitment to funding for a dedicated coroner, saying this will provide an opportunity to develop a more structured and streamlined approach to the jurisdiction, with an anticipated improvement in efficiency.

“It will also allow for the important therapeutic and public safety functions provided for in legislation to be developed in a manner consistent with current best practice,” she said.

In announcing this investment, ACT Chief Minister and Treasurer Andrew Barr said this additional resourcing will build the court’s capacity and will help victims and their families by ensuring timely access to justice.

“Establishing a dedicated coroner in the ACT will be a significant change to current practice where eight different magistrates undertake coronial matters as part of their regular, heavy workloads,” he said.

“A dedicated coroner can better understand and meet the needs of the bereaved families and friends involved in inquests by providing better support and reducing the likelihood of them suffering more trauma through a protracted coronial process.”