 |
Other Parliamentary SpeechesThis page is dedicated to Peter's speeches during parliament that do not fall under Questions or Questions without notice. They range from debating legislation, reporting on events or issues in his seat of Southport and his Ministerial Statements.
Recording of Evidence Amendment Regulation [No.1] 2003 |
![]() |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Oct 07 2003 |
| Other Speeches >> |
Mr LAWLOR (Southport-ALP) (11.02 p.m.): It gives me great pleasure to oppose this disallowance motion. The regulation increases the fees for court transcripts from $2.70 a page to $4.70 a page. As I said before, that has not changed for four years. These fees are only applied to civil litigation and are to cover part of the cost of court reporters, transcription services, printing, storage and the photocopying of transcripts and so on. The State Reporting Bureau plays a fundamental role in our justice system. The accurate and timely recording of court proceedings is essential to the openness and fairness of our justice system.
Over a number of years there has been an increase in the demand for services provided by the State Reporting Bureau. The technology utilised for the provision of its services has become increasingly dated. The cost of maintaining the current fees would be an additional revenue which would not be recovered. This would result in the bureau having less revenue available to upgrade the technology and replace the ageing equipment, thereby reducing the efficiency of the court reporting service. The quality of the technology utilised by the bureau affects the service that it provides. Any inability to upgrade the technology could have a potential effect on its level of efficiency, as I have said, within the justice system.
It is important to bear in mind that the government covers the cost of transcripts in all criminal proceedings. In relation to civil litigation, these fees amount to only a small proportion of the overall cost of conducting litigation in our courts. For a corporate litigant or indeed an individual involved in litigation which is associated with his business, the costs of those transcripts are a tax deduction.
Even with the increase in the fees, Queensland still charges significantly less than other states. For instance, in New South Wales it is $7.10 a page, and in South Australia it is $5 a page. In Victoria it is done on a commercial basis and the average cost is about $7.50 a page. Again we see the hypocrisy of the opposition. The fees are significantly less than those proposed by the Borbidge government in 1998. That government proposed an increase to $6.50 per page from $2.40. That regulation was disallowed with the support of the member for Gladstone. The members opposite were looking at an increase of 180 per cent and yet they object to this increase which has been brought about after four years of a price of $2.70 per page. The hypocrisy once again is breathtaking.
There has been an exhaustive consultation process in the preparation of this regulation, which included the preparation of a regulatory impact statement which is required in these circumstances. Considering the 180 per cent increase that was brought in by the Borbidge coalition government, this is a reasonable increase in all the circumstances. I oppose this disallowance motion. Last changed: [PUBLISHED_DATE] at 9:00 AM
Back
|
|
