Page 484 - Week 02 - Wednesday, 18 February 2015

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It is worth highlighting some of the system integrity and security risks. The existing layout of the Supreme Court provides only one secure circulation space, and this is used by the judiciary, but at a minimum we really need four separate secure circulation systems—for the judicial officers, for custodial staff and custodial functions, for the juries and for members of the public. This will ensure that we do not see inappropriate mixing and some of the risks that come with inappropriate mixing between detainees, the public, juries and witnesses, which is currently the case in the existing Supreme Court building.

Of course, this type of situation poses risks associated with jury contamination, compromising legal processes. So it is important that we address that. At the moment only two— (Time expired.)

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Ms Porter.

MS PORTER: Attorney, how will the redevelopment improve the environmental performance of the court?

MR CORBELL: I thank Ms Porter for her supplementary. The Magistrates Court is currently the second highest user of energy in the JACS portfolio. Whilst we are redeveloping and significantly refurbishing the existing Supreme Court building, we are also connecting it to the Magistrates Court. This will see us with an opportunity to significantly improve the energy performance of both buildings as they become one.

There are significant opportunities for energy efficiency upgrades to be applied to the Magistrates Court, reducing the overall energy usage across the new facility as a whole. The project is aiming for a very high level of environmental sustainability through a comprehensive range of initiatives.

Some of the key objectives we are putting in place through the tender process include ensuring that we achieve energy efficiency to reduce ongoing recurrent costs, the creation of an indoor environment that provides a high quality, healthy and productive space and an overall reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.

The building will be assessed against the Green Building Council of Australia rating tool for public buildings, with a target of exceeding or achieving a five-star green star rating. This is an important benchmark to put in place early. This significant investment delivers not only a contemporary and efficient court building but also a building with a high level of environmental performance, reducing running costs to the territory and at the same time reducing the overall greenhouse gas emissions associated with the building’s operations. (Time expired.)

MADAM SPEAKER: A supplementary question, Mr Hanson.

MR HANSON: Attorney-General, will this redevelopment help in any way with the chronic delays that we have experienced in our courts over recent years?

MR CORBELL: I thank Mr Hanson for the supplementary. It certainly will, because we are increasing, for example, the number of jury courts. At the moment we only


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