From Lorelle Longbottom: Family Law Chair and Vice President for the Wollongong District Law Society-
7-9-17
Dear Colleagues,
Please see message from His Honour Judge Altobelli below. The Pilot program is something His Honour has been committed to for a significant period of time. It is very exciting and ground breaking, and a credit to His Honour’s tireless commitment to the Wollongong Registry, that we will see the Pilot Program being launched in Wollongong this November.
Feedback for the program will be important and I invite you to provide me with any feedback during the program.
Dear Colleagues
At the recent Plenary meeting of the Court, approval was granted to undertake a Pilot program in the Wollongong registry using a Registrar to assist in duty weeks.
The aim of this is to give me more time to actually hear cases and to potentially claw-back the backlog that exists in Wollongong.
As you know, my current duty weeks consist of 3 days Mon-Wed. We list 15 new matters each day at 930, 10 mentions at 11.30, and then 10 mentions and 2 interim hearings at 2pm. The rest of the week is used for final hearings.
The model to be piloted will involve Registrar Whitten sitting on Monday-Tuesday and undertaking all the intake and case management on those days. The 45 new matters would be spread over 2 days, and we would cut down on the mentions to no more than 15 each day. No interims would be listed on Mondays and Tuesdays when a Registrar is sitting.
On these Monday-Tuesdays I will hear matters in the Local Court, subject to availability of course. If not available, I would trade these days for existing judgment writing days, and hear cases on what would have been judgment writing days.
On Wednesdays I will deal with any matters that Registrar Whitten could not deal with earlier that week. I would hear, for example, any interims arising from her lists, as well as determine any complex case management issues.
The Pilot involves Registrar Whitten sitting on 13 and 14 Nov, 4 and 5 Dec, and 29 and 30 Jan 2018 being Duty days I would normally sit. I will sit on 15 Nov, 6 Dec, and 31 January being the 3rd day of the duty weeks. The proposal means the Registrar will be dealing with 45 new matters and 30 mentions over 2 days.
Registrar Whitten will sit on the bench with me on Wednesday 13 September, a duty day, for training purposes.
We are currently working on the issue of registrar delegations of power.
Registrar Whitten would continue to undertake Conciliation Conferences and Divorce Lists in Wollongong.
Obviously, as with any trial, there will be unexpected consequences which we will overcome as they arise.
There will be a formal evaluation of the pilot that will definitely involve feedback from the local profession.
I would expect you to treat Registrar Whitten in the same manner as you would treat me in Court. She should be called Registrar or Madam Registrar.
This is an exciting, indeed ground breaking opportunity for this registry. I hope you will join with me in supporting it in every way possible.
Yours faithfully
Judge Altobelli
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