As members would be aware, the Chief Magistrate’s Office has announced changes requiring Goulburn Court staff to attend Nowra Court periodically throughout the 2024 sitting year.
The PSA wrote to management in November last year highlighting the issues that we foresaw arising from this arrangement including Health and Safety risks, leave concerns, and reduced flexibility for those with caring responsibilities. You can view that correspondence here.
Management responded to the concerns raised by the PSA correspondence. You can view the full response here. The Department’s response includes the following:
- That the change to the Goulburn Court Circuit was a decision made by the Chief Magistrate, who determines court circuits including when, where and how often the Local Court will sit at locations across the state.
- Goulburn Court staff working at Nowra will be expected to leave the courtroom at 4:00pm (on the Tuesday) even if the court has not finished for the day. Both Magistrates will be advised that Goulburn Court staff will be leaving at this time for travel back to Goulburn.
- As has always been the case for circuit travel, it will be a matter for local management to roster staff to cover operational requirements whilst ensuring reasonable and equitable access to incidental leave opportunities.
- In relation to personal or carer responsibilities, as with the long-standing existing travel requirements for the circuit, there is an expectation that local management will take into account the personal commitments and responsibilities of staff when rostering to cover all commitments on the circuit.
The PSA expects that local management will indeed take into account personal commitments and caring responsibilities, as well as leave requests. The PSA encourages any members who have individual circumstances that may inhibit them from travelling to Nowra to reach out to us. We can advocate for individual members who encounter difficulties resulting from these changes.
The PSA has also gained a commitment from the Director, Illawarra South Region to meet mid-year to review how this change has been implemented.