Inquiry into Technology and the Law

Under the powers found in Section 4F (1) (a) (ii) and Section 4F (3) of the Parliamentary Committees Act 1968 the Governor in Council refers the following matters to the Law Reform Committee--

The Committee is requested to report on the opportunities available in the use of new technologies to streamline the administration of courts and tribunals and to improve access to courts and tribunals by members of the public.

The Committee, in undertaking this review, should have regard to a number of projects which are currently underway in Government Departments and the Courts:

• the proposed Electronic Commerce Framework Bill;
• audio and video linking;
• the Pathfinder Project [an integrated criminal justice system];
• the Civil Justice Review Project; and
• the Data Improvement Project.

The Committee is requested to consider the impact of these reforms in so far as they affect courts and tribunals and to take a wider view of the opportunities that technology could present. In particular, the Committee is requested to examine:

• access to information about courts, tribunals, judgements, status of cases, etc. via electronic means;
• the future of video linking and technologies beyond video linking;
• improvements to and application of court reporting services.

The Committee is requested to make its final report to Parliament by the first day of the 1998 Spring Parliamentary Sittings.

Dated 23 September 1997

Responsible Minister:
Jan Wade
Attorney-General

Victoria Government Gazette, G 38, 25 Sept. 1997, p. 2713.
Amended by Victoria Government Gazette, G 34, 27 Aug. 1998, p. 2322.