The Magisterial Services needs to reform and transform itself in order to remain relevant to its biggest stakeholders – court users – by improving its efficiency.
Chief Magistrate Nerrie Eliakim highlighted this when opening a three-day meet for magistrates across the country yesterday morning.
A total of 92 magistrates are in Port Moresby for a workshop that will focus on designing a transformation program for the magisterial services and district court that will assist magistrates manage and dispose cases efficiently.
A transformation program will be designed during the meet that will help address case backlogs and other issues magistrates face on the bench, with regards to standards and targets.
“When we play our role well, we contribute towards creating a society that is safe, secure, just and orderly,” Chief Magistrate Eliakim said.
“Not only must we play our role well, we must also change and adopt with the increasing challenges and opportunities,” she added.
Eliakim said in order to move forward, the magisterial service needs to expand its workforce to required levels to contribute to a just and fair country through the excellent administration of justice.
During the workshop, magistrates will identify, discuss and consider ways to address the challenges they face in order to transform itself.
Magistrates around the country are faced with increasing workload.
The Chief Magistrate said those in other provinces deal with case covering all 17 jurisdictions from local and provincial land courts, to civil, committal, grade 5, traffic, fisheries, taxation, family, juvenile, corona court, etc.
NCD is the only district where courts deal with specialist jurisdictions in specific areas.
The transformation program is funded by the Australian Government and will end on Wednesday (tomorrow).