The Mental Health Court is still working to reduce its backlog, despite the allocation of extra resources to help deal with the growing call for its services.
The Court’s 2024-25 annual report details the efforts undertaken to deal with a backlog, including include sitting for an extra 25 days and the appointment of an Acting Justice, while at the same time managing a rise in caseloads across the board.
References for inquiries into defendants’ soundness of mind and whether they are fit for trial rose from 197 in the previous year to 241 during 2024-25 – something that the Court noted as a “substantial increase”.
The number of recommendations for Court Examination Orders, made under the Mental Health Act 2016, also increased from 229 in 2023-24 to 326 in 2024-25.
During this time, the Court dealt with 60 appeals, up from 48 appeals in the previous year.
The report also shows the Court is dealing with increasingly complex matters.
“The Court has noted a gradual increase in the number of referrals involving murder and attempted murder charges in recent years, adding to the growing proportion of complex and serious matters,” the report stated.
It also stated an “increasing number of self-represented defendants – which is an issue which the Court has raised with Legal Aid Queensland on several occasions”.
Justice Wilson sat as President of the Court over the last financial year, with the Justice Ryan serving as the additional member.
His Honour Phillip Morrison was appointed as an Acting Justice temporarily on 31 January to aid with the workload.
The report said the Court sat for 107 days in 2024-25 to reduce its backlog, compared to 82 in the year prior, and determined a total of 394 matters.
It said these efforts were targeted at reducing active matters before the Court.
“These extra sittings form part of a broader strategy to address the backlog of cases and improve the timeliness of proceedings,” it stated.
“Further additional sittings have also been scheduled for 2025–26 to continue this effort.
“The Court wishes to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the staff of its Registry who experience the greatest impact of the Court’s demand for increased sittings, yet manage that impact with absolute professionalism.”
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