The Tasmanian Law Society is calling for two judges to be recruited rather than just one when Justice David Porter retires next month as Supreme Court tackles hefty workloads.
The Tasmanian Law Society is calling for the State Government to appoint two Supreme Court judges when recruiting for the vacancy opened up by the retirement of Justice David Porter next month.
According to a report by the ABC, Law Society president Matthew Verney said the Government should be looking to appoint two judges not just one to relieve the currently heavy workload.
“The work load now is more than six judges can handle ... [and] it's now going to start to impact victims, on the justice system, obviously on offenders,” he said.
The Law Society expects that Porter’s retirement will put further pressure on the system and the State Government’s plan to make appointing temporary judges easier, the Law Society said significant delays in getting cases to trial were expected.
The calls for a seventh judge come as concerns raise over the lengthy delay of the trial of Klaus Dieter Neubert, a 73-year-old man who is accused of gunning down his estranged wife in a busy Hobart street almost a year ago. He is not likely to face trial before July.
Neubert is also accused of shooting his wife’s friend, Josephine Ramos Cooper in the hand.
“What I hear today is traumatising [me],” Ramos Cooper said outside the court on Monday after hearing that the trial could still be months away.
“It takes a long [time], and goes on and on, all this court hearings, it's not good for my health.
“My health, I've been so traumatised by this I can't go to sleep every night.”
An ABC report said that the court heard on Monday that the delay has also been caused by the Crown waiting on further information relating to Neubert’s mental health.
