Ballarat defence lawyers say a new online Magistrates' Court system should continue after COVID-19 restrictions are lifted to improve the efficiency of the courts.
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Online hearings were introduced at the Melbourne Magistrates' court in May in response to the coronavirus pandemic to reduce the need for people to attend court buildings.
The pilot was expanded to courts in Ballarat and Geelong last fortnight, meaning parties can appear at court via video conferencing for selected matters from their home, office or at court.
All courts should retain Webex after the virus passes.
- Scott Belcher, criminal defence lawyer
Ballarat criminal defence lawyer Adrian Paull said he appeared at the online court for a bail application on Friday, allowing a quick court response for a client who was remanded on Thursday afternoon.
"The client was arrested in Horsham yesterday afternoon, we were advised of it, the court staff were really helpful and we liaised by email about availability times and they set up a Webex for 10.30am this morning," he said, speaking to The Courier on Friday.
"The magistrate was in Ararat, I was in my office in Ballarat and the client was in Horsham.
"It facilitated a speedy response. Instead of a person having to be remanded to a date in a week's time, it meant it was able to be dealt with very effectively."
Ballarat criminal defence lawyer David Tamanika said the new online system saved time, was easy to use and would help deal with the backlog of cases caused by COVID-19.
"The structure is not that different from the way a court would normally function. The only difference is there is no access for the public and there is a slight disconnect to some degree," he said.
"There is an aspect of advocacy when you are really putting a case on behalf of a client that you may not be able to do as well when you are on a video screen.
"It is losing the slight romanticism of the way the courts are. But that has nothing to do with how the system can be used well."
RELATED COVERAGE: Online courts will help address the backlog of cases due to COVID-19
Magistrates' Courts across Victoria have adjourned and re-lsited more than 60,000 matters statewide over the past three months.
A broad range of matters have been heard online. Court staff are working with all participants and major agencies to identify matters suitable for Online Magistrates' Court hearings.
The County Court of Victoria and Supreme Court of Victoria has also been using video conferencing for some matters throughout the pandemic.
Criminal defence lawyer Scott Belcher said Webex was the best thing to come out of the 'pandemic paralysis' that hit all levels of Victorian courts.
"All courts should retain Webex after the virus passes," he said.
"Webex will eliminate the need for lawyers to lose a day travelling to out of town courts, or sitting in court all day waiting to be heard."
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