Leader of The Nationals WA, Shane Love MLA, says the Attorney General has failed to provide any guarantee to regional Western Australians affected by the closure of more than 20 regional and remote courts that they would reopen on 28 August, as previously stated.
During Question Time today, Mr Love twice asked the Attorney General to guarantee the reopening and twice the Attorney General failed to give that guarantee.
Mr Love also asked why the Cook Labor Government had failed to ensure sufficient court security was in place despite being warned by the WA Police Commissioner in December 2024 that police intended to transition out of court security services and that alternative arrangements would be required.
The Attorney General refused to accept regional residents were being left out of pocket by being forced to travel long distances and pay for accommodation to access court services.
“The Attorney General failed to answer why this situation was allowed to develop despite more than 18 months of warning and planning time,” Mr Love said.
“He also failed to address the financial burden being imposed on regional Western Australians who are now being forced to travel hundreds of kilometres, often at their own expense, because their local court has been shut down.
“Most concerning of all, he refused to guarantee these courts will reopen on 28 August.
“Regional communities deserve certainty, but all they have received from this Government is excuses and buck-passing.”
Mr Love said the Government’s inability to provide a reopening guarantee would do little to reassure affected communities, victims, witnesses, police officers and legal professionals already dealing with significant disruption.
“The Attorney General effectively admitted he cannot guarantee when these courts will reopen, despite the Government having known about this issue since at least December last year,” he said.
“We now have reports of accused persons being flown around the state because local courts are unavailable, creating additional costs and placing further pressure on police resources.
“This is a mess entirely of the Government’s making.
“Regional Western Australians should not be treated as second-class citizens when it comes to accessing justice.
“The Cook Labor Government has had ample warning and ample opportunity to act. Instead, regional communities are paying the price for its failure to plan ahead.”
