Highlights from the Annual Report

Justice, Policy and Planning

• The Aboriginal Justice Advisory Council researched the behavioural needs of Aboriginal juveniles in detention in partnership with the Department of Juvenile Justice.

• The Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research conducted research on risk factors for violence against women.

• The Crime Prevention Division assisted four local councils in the successful application of their local crime prevention plans to be endorsed by the Attorney General as Safer Community Compacts.

• The Legislation and Policy Division and Criminal Law Review Division participated in the development and implementation of the new Drug Court.

• The Law Reform Commission published three reports during 1998/99 – Review of Section 409B of the Crimes Act 1900, Neighbour and Neighbour Relations and Contribution Between Persons Liable for the Same Damage.

• The Anti-Discrimination Board was successful in its arguments before the Industrial Relations Commission to persuade the Commission to insert a model anti-discrimination and harassment clause in all NSW awards.
  
• The Office of the Protective Commissioner developed and trialed a client focused service delivery system which used combined resources to assess the finacial needs and personal circumstances of clients.
  
• The Office of the Public Guardian published a booklet on guardianship for people under guardianship, their partners, relatives, friends and service providers, outlining a guardian’s authority and the range of decisions they can make under particular functions in a guardianship order.
  
• Privacy NSW advised and assisted 2,200 callers during 1998/99, dealing with requests for information about privacy rights in the home or workplace, as well as more complex matters requiring investigation.
  
• Victims Services developed the video and booklet, Your Day in Court, to reduce stress for victims of crime and prepare them for court by offering an overview of the Local and District Court processes.

• The Administrative Decisions Tribunal opened on 6 October 1998, bringing together the functions of five separate tribunals – the Equal Opportunity, Legal Services, Boxing Appeals, Veterinary Surgeons Disciplinary and the Schools Appeals Tribunals.
  
• The Compensation Court and Dust Diseases Tribunal established video link facilities in courtrooms, providing greater flexibility in the giving of evidence by witnesses.
  
• The District Court improved service delivery in many areas including its Sydney Registry which was refurbished to improve access for people with disabilities.
  
• The Industrial Relations Commission resolved 4,825 unfair dismissal cases this year, compared with 2,738 for the previous year.
  
• The Land and Environment Court encouraged greater participation by stakeholders in how the court operates through the Court User Group.
  
• The Local Court successfully managed an increase in the criminal caseload during 1998, preventing any consequent increases in the current waiting time for defended matters.
  
• The Supreme Court commenced the electronic publication and distribution of judgments on 1 January 1999. The judgments of the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and Court of Criminal Appeal now available through the Department’s website.

• The Office of the Sheriff continued to improve court security through the deployment of Sheriff's Officers principally at the highest risk locations, such as those dealing with large numbers of domestic violence and family law cases.
  
• Reporting Services Branch equipped more court houses with up-to-date sound equipment, with priority given to country court houses.
  
• The Attorney General’s Library added a search engine to its Desktop Law facility which is now available to all staff in the Department.
  
• The Law Courts Library finalised the format and content of its site on the Department’s website.
  
• The NSW Law Libraries created an electronic database of judgments allowing judgments of the Common Law Division of the Supreme Court to be immediately accessible to judicial officers in the Downing Centre.
  

• The Legal Management Service conducted a seminar for lawyers and government officials on Legal Issues in Tendering which covered legal, practical and probity issues relating to the tender process.
  
• The Legal Representation Office, now a permanent business unit of the Department, continued to represent witnesses at the Police Integrity Commission, Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Thredbo Landslide Coronial Inquest.
  
• The Public Defenders Office accepted 107 briefs for Aboriginal clients from the various Aboriginal Legal Services throughout the State during the year.
  
• The State Debt Recovery Office collected $53 million in fines and fees imposed by courts and other government agencies.
  
• The Community Justice Centres (CJCs) improved liaison in a number of areas including the Department Of Housing and its Good Neighbour Policy and the Children’s Court, which is now referring more inter-generational conflict cases to CJCS.
  
• The Community Relations Division convened a departmental focus group and surveyed business units on the development of a complaint handling and client feedback system for the Department.

• The Legal Profession Advisory Council reviewed the licensing of legal practitioners and the reservation of legal work, concluding that general legal work should be restricted to licensed lawyers for the public benefit and protection.
  
• The Legal Practitioners Admissions Board adopted new rules and procedures for applications of overseas qualified persons wishing to enter the legal profession.
  
• The Office of the Legal Services Commissioner established and enhanced links with continuing legal education providers and professional development educators to facilitate a greater awareness of problems that commonly lead to complaints against legal practitioners.
  
• The Professional Standards Council created a partnership with Western Australia to form a joint NSW/WA council to administer new WA professional standards legislation.

• The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages extended genealogical services to the Internet by releasing historical indexes of the period 1856 to 1945 through the Department’s website. On average 430 searches are made per hour.
  
• The Crown Solicitor’s Office continued to operate successfully on a commercial basis, returning a dividend in excess of $3 million to the Government, while providing quality legal services to Government, such as representing the State in the long running “BT litigation” against the State and Telstra.

Corporate Human Resources:

• Established an Employee Assistance Program to provide staff with access to counselling services around the clock.
  
• Provided training for more than 2,700 staff through 50 courses offered by the Corporate Development and Training Unit in a range of areas including business planning, executive development, workplace programs, client services, quality management, supervision and management and information technology.

Corporate Communications Unit:

• Cordinated the development of the Department’s web site LawLink NSW, launched in July 1998, which is the largest provider of secondary legal information in Australia.

Finance and Strategic Services:

• The Information and Technology Branch extended its computer facilities by increasing the number of sites connected to the wide area network (75), creating access to email for staff (3,100 email users) and providing Local Area networks for 60 courthouses;
  
• The Capital Works Unit completed the construction of a Children’s Court wing at the historic Campbelltown Court House, providing significant improvements to regional facilities for children’s matters; and
  
• The Finance Branch implemented a daily cash system to maximise interest revenue.