Capital funding has been set aside to continue work on moving the Supreme Court out of Sessions House.

David Burt, the Premier, announced in the 2024-25 Budget speech that funding has been allocated through the Ministry of Public Works to complete the renovation of the court facilities in the Dame Lois Browne-Evans Building.

The building already houses Magistrates’ Court and one courtroom utilised for Supreme Court matters.

Mr Burt added that while the budget for the Ministry of Legal Affairs had been reduced by $11,000 to $33.2 million this year, funding was also in place to implement a new electronic case management system to “improve efficiency and connectivity”.

“The Attorney-General’s Chambers will improve the resources and workforce levels necessary to draft effective legislation and provide comprehensive legal advice and representation on behalf of government ministries and departments,” he said.

It was announced in 2019 that Supreme Court cases would no longer be heard at Sessions House once a planned $12.8 million renovation at the building was completed.

That the project was mothballed temporarily because of the Covid-19 pandemic and Supreme Court 1, on the building’s ground floor, has remained in use.

Last year, the Premier told MPs that $550,000 was included in that year’s Budget for repairs to Sessions House while $570,000 had been set aside for the court consolidation project.