NSW’s justice system to get $2bn investment

Key justice investments made in NSW’s 2022-23 budget include:

• $481.1 million for Legal Aid NSW, including support for CLCs;
• $18 million for expanded and upgraded AV facilities, including DV complainants and witnesses, in approximately 50 courts and tribunals;
• $13.8 million for three acting District Court judges to address pandemic-inspired backlogs;
• $13.4 million over four years to expand the Statewide Court and Community Liaison Services;
• $10 million over four years to trial bail advocacy and support services for First Nations young people and women in Newcastle and Sydney;
• $7.3 million over four years to support equal and genuine partnerships with First Nations communities;
• $6 million in recurrent expenditure over four years and $2 million in capital expenditure in 2022-23 only on court-appointed questioners to ensure domestic violence complaints are not directly questioned by self-represented defendants
• $5.5 million over four years to provide six full-time commissioners at the Industrial Relations Commission, including support staff and infrastructure;
• $3 million on the special commission of inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes; and
• $700,000 over two years to support the government’s legislative commitment to outlaw coercive control in current and former intimate partner relationships.