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Inquiry into the Magistrates Court of Western Australia's management of matters involving family and domestic violence

Inquiry status:

Past

Date commenced:

14 Aug 2019

Tabling date:

13 Aug 2020

Deadline for submissions:

11 Oct 2019

Date Ended:

13 Aug 2020

Committee

Community Development and Justice Standing Committee (2017 - 2021)

House:

Legislative Assembly

Media Statements:

No Media Statements released

Important Information:

Inquiry submission guidelines.pdf

Terms of Reference:

The Community Development and Justice Standing Committee will inquire into and report on the Magistrates Court of Western Australia’s management of matters involving family and domestic violence. In particular, the Committee will consider:

1. The challenges experienced by the Magistrates Court of Western Australia and court users in matters involving family and domestic violence, including:

Ease of access

Cost of access

Access to advice, support and programs

2. How other jurisdictions manage matters involving family and domestic violence, including examination of non-adversarial models.

3. Ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the Magistrates Court of Western Australia’s management of matters involving family and domestic violence.

Submission Number	Submitting person/organisation
008	The Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration Inc. received on 24 Sep 2019
009	Hon. Eugene Hyman received on 25 Sep 2019
010	Magistrates Court of Western Australia received on 27 Sep 2019
012	Women's Council for Domestic Violence and Family Violence Services received on 1 Oct 2019
013	Mr Philip Cockman received on 5 Oct 2019
015	Children's Court of Western Australia received on 10 Oct 2019
016	Aboriginal Family Law Services received on 10 Oct 2019
017	Gosnells Community Legal Centre Inc received on 10 Oct 2019
019	Northern Suburbs Community Legal Centre Inc. received on 21 Oct 2019
020	Relationships Australia Western Australia received on 11 Oct 2019
022	Family Law Practitioners' Association of Western Australia Inc. received on 11 Oct 2019
023	Magistrates' Society of Western Australia Inc. received on 11 Oct 2019
024	Centrecare received on 11 Oct 2019
025	Associate Professor Sarah Murray received on 11 Oct 2019
027	Commissioner for Children and Young People Western Australia received on 14 Oct 2019
029	Magistrate Horrigan, Children's Court of Western Australia received on 14 Oct 2019
030	Community Legal Western Australia received on 16 Oct 2019
031	National Judicial College of Australia received on 17 Oct 2019
032	Department of Justice received on 17 Oct 2019
033	Office of the Commissioner for Victims of Crime - Department of Justice received on 18 Oct 2019
034	Associate Professor Jill Howieson received on 18 Oct 2019
035	Department of Communities received on 21 Oct 2019
036	Queensland Courts received on 22 Oct 2019
037	Adelaide Magistrates Court received on 22 Oct 2019
038	Legal Aid Western Australia received on 23 Oct 2019
039	Western Australia Police Force received on 29 Oct 2019
040	Living Proud LGBTI Community Services of WA received on 8 Nov 2019
042	Aboriginal Males Healing Centre received on 15 Nov 2019
043	Koori Family Violence Unit, Magistrates Court of Victoria received on 18 Mar 2020
044	Neighbourhood Justice Centre received on 25 Mar 2020
045	Family Court of Western Australia received on 12 May 2020
046	Japan Australia Word Services Pty Ltd received on 5 Jun 2020

Unless a venue is specified, hearings are held at the
Legislative Assembly Committee Rooms, Level 2, 2 Parliament Place, West Perth

Date	Time	Venue	Organisation	Witness
13 Nov 2019	09:45 AM	Legislative Assembly Committee Office - Meeting Room 4	Aboriginal Family Law Services	Ms Corina Martin (Chief Executive Officer) and Mrs Linda Cao (Senior Lawyer)
13 Nov 2019	10:45 AM	Legislative Assembly Committee Office - Meeting Room 4	Department of Justice	Ms Joanne Stampalia, Executive Manager (Court and Tribunal Services) Ms Teresa Tagliaferri (Director, Victim Support Services)
20 Nov 2019	09:45 AM	Legislative Assembly Committee Office - Meeting Room 4	Magistrates Court of Western Australia	Chief Magistrate Steven Heath
20 Nov 2019	11:00 AM	Legislative Assembly Committee Office - Meeting Room 4	Magistrates’ Society of Western Australia	Magistrate Deen Potter (President) and Magistrate Jennifer Hawkins (Member)
27 Nov 2019	10:15 AM	Legislative Assembly Committee Office - Meeting Room 1	Women’s Council for Domestic and Family Violence Services	Ms Kedy Kristal (Acting Chief Executive Officer)
10 Feb 2020	09:30 AM	Legislative Assembly Committee Office - Meeting Room 4	Children's Court of Western Australia	Judge Julie Wager (President) and Magistrate Andrée Horrigan
10 Feb 2020	10:45 AM	Legislative Assembly Committee Office - Meeting Room 4	Department of Justice	Ms Katalin Kraszlan (Acting Commissioner for Victims of Crime)
10 Feb 2020	11:45 AM	Legislative Assembly Committee Office - Meeting Room 4	Department of Communities	Ms Michelle Andrews (Director General)
10 Feb 2020	01:30 PM	Legislative Assembly Committee Office - Meeting Room 4	WA Police	Assistant Commissioner Kylie Whitely, Superintendent Martin Cope and Superintendent Sharron Leonhardt
11 Mar 2020	10:00 AM	Legislative Assembly Committee Office - Meeting Room 2	Community Legal WA and Northern Suburbs Community Legal Centre Inc	Ms Sharryn Jackson (Executive Director), Ms Carrie Hannington (Policy and Projects) Ms Kathy Blitz-Cokis (Chief Executive Officer), Mr Nicolas Snare (Senior Solicitor) and Ms Louellyn Gane (Principal Solicitor)
11 Mar 2020	11:00 AM	Legislative Assembly Committee Office - Meeting Room 2	Centrecare	Mr Rod West (Executive Manager)

Related Transcripts of Evidence:

•

Evidence by.. Ms Joanne Stampalia (Executive Director, Court and Tribunal Services, Department of Justice) and Ms Teresa Tagliaferri (Director, Court Counselling and Support Services, Department of Justice) on 13 Nov 2019

•

Evidence by.. Ms Mary Martin (Chief Executive Officer, Aboriginal Family Law Services) and Ms Linda Cao (Senior Lawyer, Aboriginal Family Law Services) on 13 Nov 2019

•

Evidence by.. Mr Steven Heath (Chief Magistrate, Magistrates Court of Western Australia) on 20 Nov 2019

•

Evidence by.. Mr Deen Potter (President, Magistrates' Society of Western Australia Inc) and Ms Jennifer Hawkins (Magistrate, Magistrates' Society of Western Australia Inc) on 20 Nov 2019

•

Evidence by.. Ms KEDY KRISTAL (Acting CEO, Women’s Council for Domestic and Family Violence Services) on 27 Nov 2019

•

Evidence by.. Ms Michelle Andrews (Director General, Department of Communities), Ms Tanya Elson (Director, Children and Families) and Ms Astrid Kalders (Executive Director, Children and Families) on 10 Feb 2020

•

Evidence by.. Ms Kylie Whiteley (Assistant Commissioner, Operations Support, Western Australia Police Force), Ms Sharron Leonhardt (Superintendent, Family Violence Division, Western Australia Police Force) and Mr Martin Cope (Superintendent, Prosecuting Services Division, Western Australia Police Force) on 10 Feb 2020

•

Evidence by.. Ms Katalin Kraszlan (Acting Commissioner for Victims of Crime, Department of Justice), Mr Michael Johnson (Director, Magistrates Courts and Tribunals, Department of Justice) and Mr Thomas Samuels (Legal Policy Officer, Department of Justice) on 10 Feb 2020

•

Evidence by.. Judge Julie Wager (President, Children's Court of Western Australia) and Magistrate Andrée Horrigan (Magistrate, Children's Court of Western Australia) on 10 Feb 2020

•

Evidence by.. Ms Ekaterini Blitz-Cokis (Chief Executive Officer, Northern Suburbs Community Legal Centre) and Mr Nicholas Snare (Senior Solicitor, Northern Suburbs Community Legal Centre) on 11 Mar 2020

•

Evidence by.. Ms Sharryn Jackson (Executive Director, Community Legal Centres Association WA Inc) and Ms Caroline Hannington (Policy and Projects Officer, Community Legal Centres Association WA Inc) on 11 Mar 2020

•

Evidence by.. Mr Rodney West (Executive Manager, Community Services, Centrecare Inc) on 11 Mar 2020

Related Reports:

Report No	Title	Date tabled	Related documents
8	Opening Doors to Justice: Supporting victims by improving the management of family and domestic violence matters in the Magistrates Court of Western Australia	13 Aug 2020	More...

Members conducting inquiry

Members:

Mr Peter Katsambanis MLA
Mr Mark Folkard MLA
Ms Libby Mettam MLA
Mr Sean L'Estrange MLA
Mr Don Punch MLA

Staff Members:

Ms Alison Sharpe (Principal Research Officer)
Mrs Alice Jones (Research Officer)
Ms Catherine Parsons (Research Officer)