On 2 December 2019 all Northern Territory Courts will have a new civil case management system called ‘Odyssey’. Odyssey was successfully implemented at the Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT) in December 2017 and the Court civil implementation is another step on the road to the Northern Territory being the first completely digital jurisdiction in Australia.
In March 2019, the Northern Territory Local Court will open the doors to a new pilot providing holistic solutions for Northern Territory families. The Family Law Pilot is a joint initiative between the Northern Territory and the Commonwealth governments that aims to make it simpler for parents, Territory Families and interested parties to navigate what may otherwise be a complex family law system.
Commencing Monday December 2nd 2019 the Local Court at Darwin will be trialling a new case-management system for domestic and personal violence matters.
Domestic and personal violence lists on Monday and Friday mornings will be initially presided over by a judicial registrar and then later in the day by a Local Court judge.
The judge will manage any matters that are beyond the power and scope of the judicial registrar.
The Alice Springs Local Court is well underway with a multimillion dollar refurbishment. The Local Court building was built in 1980. The building’s structure and design have changed very little since that time. However changes in function and technology have meant the requirements of the building have now changed.
New laws have been introduced in each state and territory to improve the protection of domestic and family violence victims. From 25 November 2017 domestic violence orders (DVOs) issued in one state or territory will apply and be enforceable in all states and territories in Australia.