Borrows to visit Australian courts

Courts Minister Chester Borrows will travel to Australia from 12 to 14 July to visit court, tribunal and youth justice facilities in Sydney and Melbourne.

Mr Borrows will meet with senior justice sector officials and Victorian Attorney General Robert Clark to look at justice sector innovations that have the potential to be introduced to New Zealand as part of government efforts to modernise the court system.

“As Courts Minister, it’s my job to make sure that New Zealanders can access justice services in a manner they would expect in the 21st century. While we already have work underway to deliver this, I’m keen to look at what we can learn from our neighbours,” says Mr Borrows.

“For example, New South Wales is regarded as the leading Australian state in the use of audio-visual technology so I’m looking forward to seeing first-hand how they do things”.

The visit will also take in the Parramatta Justice precinct, a cross government initiative to provide West Sydney residents with a centralised location for a range of community service needs, from health and welfare to justice and administrative services.

In Melbourne, Mr Borrows will visit the Collingwood Neighbourhood Justice Centre, a neighbourhood-focused court that uses the influence of the justice system to address local problems through the philosophy of restorative justice.

He will also visit the Children’s Court of Victoria and the Juniperina Female Juvenile facility in his capacity as Associate Minister for Justice with responsibility for youth justice.