The Land Court has warned that its workload will soon become unsustainable without the replacement of staff and more facilities.
In the Court’s annual report, which was tabled in Parliament on 21 October, President Peta Stilgoe said the Court was missing the “steady hand and wise counsel” of Member William Isdale, who left late last year.
President Stilgoe praised the co-operation and help from Supreme Court Justices which had allowed the Court to weather a record year of Land Appeal Court matters.
“Having said that, I am conscious that the workload of the members will shortly be unsustainable unless Member Isdale’s position is filled,” she said.
“The Court has a full calendar of matters for the first half of the next financial year and the first half of 2027 is rapidly filling.
“The Court’s ability to decide complex matters is also hampered by its facilities. The Court has only one courtroom able to cope comfortably with large matters with multiple parties.
“Again, I express my thanks to the Supreme Court Justices in the regions who have made courts available to hear matters in locations close to the subject matter of the dispute.”
President Stilgoe said despite lodgments being up 22 per cent across all jurisdictions, and the loss of Member Isdale, the Court had still met and exceeded its benchmarks.
She also said a review of processes had placed the Court in an excellent position to transition to digital filing next financial year.
Read the report here.
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