Report on Government Services 2017

Volume C, Chapter 7

Courts

The focus of the Courts chapter (chapter 7) is the court administration functions of Australian and State and Territory courts.

Data are reported for the Federal Court, the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court, the criminal and civil jurisdictions of the supreme courts (including probate registries), district/county courts, magistrates' courts (including children's courts), coroners' courts and the Family Court of WA.

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Key Facts
Indicator Framework
Indicator Results

In 2015-16, in the criminal jurisdiction of the supreme, district/county, magistrates’ and children’s courts, approximately 843 800 cases were lodged, and 873 900 cases were finalised.

In the civil jurisdiction of these same courts approximately 429 100 cases were lodged and 444 200 cases finalised.

In the Australian courts, approximately 120 400 cases were lodged, and approximately 116 800 cases finalised.

Total court administration recurrent expenditure less income (excluding fines) by the court authorities covered in this chapter was almost $1.38 billion in 2015-16, comprising $1.16 billion for the State and Territory courts and $216.4 million for the Australian courts.

Courts aim to safeguard and maintain the rule of law and ensure equal justice to all. Court services aim to support the courts by enabling them to:

be open, accessible and affordable
process matters in an expeditious and timely manner
encourage public confidence and trust in the courts.

Governments aim for court services to meet these objectives in an equitable and efficient manner.

The performance indicator framework provides information on equity, efficiency and effectiveness, and distinguishes the outputs and outcomes of courts. The performance indicator framework shows which data are complete and comparable in the 2017 Report.

Indicator framework

An overview of the Courts performance indicator results are presented. Information to assist the interpretation of these data can be found in the indicator interpretation boxes in the Courts chapter and attachment tables.

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Effectiveness — Access — Timeliness indicators

Judicial officers

Number of FTE judicial officers, per 100 000 people, 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aus Gov	Aust
No.	3.4	4.2	3.2	4.6	4.3	4.2	3.7	10.5	0.6	4.5

Source: Attachment table 7A.27

Backlog

Percentage of criminal lodgments pending completion at 30 June 2016 (%)

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aus Gov	Aust
Higher (appeal) >12 months	1.6	4.0	16.5	18.7	7.8	8.0	25.0	30.8	..	..
Higher (appeal) >24 months	0.1	0.5	4.6	5.9	0.9	4.0	4.8	–	..	..
Higher (non-appeal) >12 months	24.3	17.5	13.3	6.8	25.5	28.9	23.1	6.4	..	..
Higher (non-appeal) >24 months	4.8	4.4	4.2	0.7	6.9	7.3	3.2	1.4	..	..
Magistrates >6 months	12.6	27.0	33.0	31.5	25.3	30.4	27.4	28.5	..	..
Magistrates >12 months	2.0	8.7	14.1	10.6	7.7	13.0	10.2	15.5	..	..
Children's >6 months	17.0	12.1	22.0	13.7	18.2	24.3	23.4	28.3	..	..
Children's >12 months	2.2	4.0	11.0	2.5	4.1	13.3	13.0	12.7	..	..

Source: Attachment table 7A.19

Percentage of civil lodgments pending completion at 30 June 2016 (%)

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aus Gov	Aust
Higher (appeal) >12 months	11.7	10.8	17.7	18.4	17.8	19.7	47.0	1.9	5.0	..
Higher (appeal) >24 months	2.5	1.0	5.7	5.0	2.6	1.6	31.3	–	0.4	..
Higher (non-appeal) >12 months	25.8	36.2	21.5	33.8	41.6	34.0	29.9	27.7	29.9	..
Higher (non-appeal) >24 months	8.5	11.9	5.2	13.2	19.8	9.2	13.1	8.9	18.5	..
Magistrates >6 months	25.0	31.1	40.3	39.3	43.9	40.0	45.1	32.5	..	..
Magistrates >12 months	1.0	21.1	9.4	7.5	12.2	11.5	14.8	7.5	..	..
Family (appeal) >12 months	..	..	..	–	..	..	..	..	30.4	..
Family (appeal) >24 months	..	..	..	–	..	..	..	..	9.6	..
Family (non-appeal) >12 months	..	..	..	29.7	..	..	..	..	28.0	..
Family (non-appeal) >24 months	..	..	..	8.5	..	..	..	..	12.1	..
Federal Circuit >6 months	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	37.8	..
Federal Circuit >12 months	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	17.7	..
Coroners >12 months	21.7	26.5	33.2	21.3	35.1	31.9	31.4	43.4	..	..
Coroners >24 months	8.6	10.1	13.6	6.7	11.2	8.1	17.8	31.3	..	..

Source: Attachment table 7A.21

Attendance

Average number of attendances per finalisation, criminal courts, 2015‑16

Most recent data for this measure are neither comparable or complete
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aus Gov	Aust
Supreme	na	na	3.9	3.2	3.7	5.4	7.9	6.9	..	..
District/County	3.1	4.8	4.8	3.8	6.1	..	..	..	..	..
Magistrates	2.7	2.5	2.5	2.7	4.0	4.3	4.0	3.2	..	..
Children's	3.6	2.1	2.7	3.8	4.3	5.2	5.4	4.8	..	..

Source: Attachment table 7A.22

Average number of attendances per finalisation, civil courts, 2015‑16

Most recent data for this measure are neither comparable or complete
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aus Gov	Aust
Supreme/Federal	na	na	1.3	2.1	3.9	1.9	5.0	5.2	2.9	..
District/County	3.4	0.7	0.4	1.1	3.9	..	..	..	..	..
Magistrates	1.0	1.2	1.0	0.8	1.3	1.2	1.8	1.1	..	..
Children's	na	1.7	3.6	4.4	2.6	5.0	7.3	4.2	..	..
Family	..	..	..	1.8	..	..	..	..	2.1	..
Federal Circuit	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	1.9	..
Coroners	5.0	1.1	6.7	2.1	2.7	1.4	4.5	1.0	..	..

Source: Attachment table 7A.22

Clearance

Finalisations divided by lodgments (multiplied by 100 to provide percentage), criminal, 2015‑16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aus Gov	Aust
Supreme (appeal)	94.2	108.7	106.6	93.9	106.5	106.3	93.9	68.8	..	101.1
Supreme (non-appeal)	81.7	129.6	86.7	93.3	126.7	97.1	93.9	83.7	..	89.8
District/County (appeal)	99.3	100.2	103.5	..	..	..	..	..	..	99.7
District/County (non-appeal)	91.8	97.4	94.2	84.6	100.6	..	..	..	..	93.4
Magistrates	97.4	124.2	98.4	101.9	94.1	95.7	97.3	103.3	..	103.9
Children's	98.1	108.6	110.5	96.8	98.2	103.7	108.8	95.6	..	104.6

Source: Attachment table 7A.24

Finalisations divided by lodgments (multiplied by 100 to provide percentage), civil, 2015‑16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aus Gov	Aust
Supreme/Federal (appeal)	105.8	91.6	127.0	112.7	87.3	90.2	88.7	106.5	96.4	101.3
Supreme/Federal (non-appeal)	104.8	116.7	103.5	94.0	102.4	103.6	102.2	78.8	98.3	104.7
District/County (appeal)	152.6	67.2	97.5	95.5	90.3	..	..	..	..	100.7
District/County (non-appeal)	108.9	113.0	103.2	101.7	108.9	..	..	..	..	107.3
Magistrates	106.7	104.5	102.9	97.1	102.9	104.0	103.7	101.6	..	103.7
Children's	92.9	94.7	98.3	97.6	98.8	100.9	111.7	98.5	..	95.4
Family (appeal)	..	..	..	100.0	..	..	..	..	95.4	95.5
Family (non-appeal)	..	..	..	97.1	..	..	..	..	98.9	98.1
Federal Circuit	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	96.5	96.5
Coroners	100.2	104.6	100.5	92.5	89.8	87.0	85.6	115.1	..	99.3

Source: Attachment table 7A.26

Effectiveness — Access — Affordability indicators

Fees paid by applicants

Average civil court fees collected per lodgment, 2015-16 (dollars)

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aus Gov	Aust
Supreme/Federal	3 107	1 941	2 262	2 331	2 999	685	2 842	1 487	2 631	2 512
District/County	1 745	1 797	1 051	1 101	1 098	..	..	..	..	1 445
Magistrates (only)	209	227	115	139	123	90	206	53	..	177
Family	..	..	..	361	..	..	..	..	305	329
Federal Circuit	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	721	721
Probate ‑ Supreme	1 393	374	637	313	1 251	605	1 331	1 350	..	862

Source: Attachment table 7A.18

Efficiency indicators

Judicial officers per finalisation

Full time equivalent judicial officers divided by total finalisations (multiplied by 100), 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aus Gov	Aust
Supreme/Federal	0.60	0.77	0.42	0.69	0.90	0.53	0.66	0.98	0.95	0.70
District/County	0.34	0.53	0.31	0.40	0.46	..	..	..	..	0.39
Magistrates	0.04	0.04	0.03	0.03	0.05	0.04	0.08	0.06	..	0.04
Children's	0.14	0.04	0.03	0.06	0.07	0.09	0.20	0.06	..	0.07
Family	..	..	..	0.10	..	..	..	..	0.16	0.13
Federal Circuit	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	0.07	0.07
Coroners	0.08	0.14	0.15	0.19	0.09	0.57	0.07	0.51	..	0.14
Total	0.07	0.07	0.05	0.07	0.08	0.08	0.14	0.10	0.13	0.07

Source: Attachment table 7A.28

Full time equivalent staff (FTE) per finalisation

Full time equivalent staff divided by total finalisations (multiplied by 100), 2015-16

Most recent data for this measure are comparable and complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aus Gov	Aust
Criminal courts	0.6	0.4	0.3	0.4	0.7	0.4	1.2	0.5	..	0.4
Civil courts	0.6	0.6	0.4	0.5	0.6	0.5	1.2	0.7	5.1	0.6
Family courts	..	..	..	0.9	..	..	..	..	1.2	1.1
Federal Circuit	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	0.6	0.6
Coroners	0.6	1.1	1.1	1.5	1.0	1.2	np	1.5	..	1.0
Total	0.6	0.5	0.3	0.5	0.7	0.5	np	0.5	0.9	0.5

Source: Attachment table 7A.29

Cost per finalisation

Total recurrent expenditure (minus income) divided by total finalisations, criminal, 2015-16 (dollars)

Most recent data for this measure are not comparable but are complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aus Gov	Aust
Supreme	54 512	62 897	8 494	26 291	25 276	16 649	32 947	20 319	..	23 494
District/County	5 960	15 388	7 581	18 253	8 697	..	..	..	..	9 249
Magistrates	579	486	387	663	822	481	1 787	876	..	539
Children's	797	174	568	700	899	635	2 256	948	502	797

Source: Attachment table 7A.31

Total recurrent expenditure (minus income) divided by total finalisations, civil, 2015-16 (dollars)

Most recent data for this measure are not comparable but are complete, subject to caveats
	NSW	Vic	Qld	WA	SA	Tas	ACT	NT	Aus Gov	Aust
Supreme/Federal	3 961	5 959	3 589	6 791	5 397	4 616	6 174	17 451	14 644	6 865
District/County	2 817	3 555	1 114	2 296	3 208	..	..	..	..	2 600
Magistrates	183	261	287	371	200	258	1 360	850	..	271
Children's	844	2 279	1 200	1 337	552	608	5 543	926	..	1 393
Family	..	..	..	1 452	..	..	..	..	3 076	2371
Federal Circuit	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	744	744
Coroners	912	1 934	1 936	2 824	1 565	2 445	3 989	3 076	..	1 756

Source: Attachment table 7A.32

Notes

These data and caveats for these data are available in Chapter 7 and Attachment 7A.

na Not available. .. Not applicable. – Nil or rounded to zero. np Not published.