EXTRA court dates have been announced in Tamworth meaning the magistrate will sit for more time in the city to hear the long list of cases.
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Tamworth Local Court will sit for an extra 24 sitting days a year, from July 1.
Currently, Tamworth magistrate Julie Soars sits all but three days a month in the city, with one day allocated for sittings in Quirindi and two in Scone.
On a normal busy list day, which is every Monday, the Tamworth court can see upwards of 80 to 100 matters listed, with the court regularly sitting past the 4pm cut off.
Police prosecutors from Tamworth as well as some court staff also travel to Quirindi and Scone to run the court lists.
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From the new financial year, Ms Soars will sit all but one day a month in Tamworth, retaining the Quirindi fixture, after a new magistrate was announced for the Upper Hunter.
The new magistrate will sit in Muswellbrook and take control of the Scone lists, as part of a new local court circuit.
The extra two days a month in Tamworth will enable the court to deal with hearings and longer sentence matters.
“Our country magistrates do an incredible job dealing with a significant and diverse workload," Attorney General Mark Speakman said.
The local court is the busiest and most efficient jurisdiction in Australia, dealing with 96 per cent of all criminal matters from start to finish.
- Attorney General Mark Speakman
"The local court is the busiest and most efficient jurisdiction in Australia, dealing with 96 per cent of all criminal matters from start to finish."
Tamworth is one of several country courts to benefit from extra sitting days, announced by the state government.
The new local court circuit will commence on July 1 and include appearances at Singleton and Scone, boosting sittings across six courts in the Hunter by more than 225 days.
“The new Muswellbrook Local Court circuit is great news for communities in the Hunter because extra sitting days will take pressure off the regional courts and ensure victims and their families have better access to justice,” Mr Speakman said.
Under the changes Cessnock Local Court will gain 60 additional sitting days per year, followed by 48 in each of Muswellbrook, Singleton and Toronto Local Courts.
Tamworth and Belmont will each benefit from 24 extra sitting days a year. Sittings at Scone and Kurri Kurri will remain the same.
The Chief Magistrate will announce the Muswellbrook appointment in the next few months, but the position will take the number of local court magistrates in the Hunter to nine.
There are two magistrates at Newcastle and one magistrate at Maitland, Tamworth, Cessnock, Toronto and Belmont, as well as a relieving magistrate.
The state is funding the appointment through a $4.1 million package in response to the Child Abuse Royal Commission.
