New large trials courtroom for Victoria’s courts

Victoria’s courts will soon have a courtroom large enough for holding massive trials such as the Kilmore East bushfires trial.

The new courtroom will be located in the William Cooper Justice Centre (WCJC), a multi-jurisdictional court building on the corner of William and Lonsdale Streets.

Until now, Victorian courts have had to seek use of the Federal Court facilities in La Trobe Street to hold very large trials, and these facilities have not always been available.

Attorney-General Robert Clark paid tribute to the work of staff at the Supreme Court and the Courts and Tribunals Service (CTS) in developing the concept and plans for the new courtroom.

“When it became apparent that the Federal Court’s facilities would not be available for the Kilmore East bushfire litigation, Victorian taxpayers faced the prospect of having to pay millions of dollars in rent and fit-out costs on leased facilities,” Mr Clark said.

“However, intensive investigation and planning in collaboration between the Supreme Court and the CTS has resulted in an outcome that will give Victorian courts a custom-designed venue in a publicly owned building that will be available for years to come.

“This will not only ensure that parties involved in very large trials are able to obtain a timely hearing of their case, it will also mean that Victorian courts will be an increasingly attractive forum for major commercial litigation,” Mr Clark said.

“It is regrettable that a major trial court was not included in the design when the previous Government decided to convert the old County Court building into what is now the William Cooper Justice Centre.

“If a large court room had been included from the start, the need for these extensive modifications could have been avoided,” Mr Clark said.

“However, the Coalition Government is today acting to fix yet another problem we inherited in the justice system, to ensure Victoria’s courts will in the future, have a permanent venue for large-scale litigation.”

Mr Clark said that work on the modifications would begin immediately and continue over summer to enable completion by the end of January 2013, in time for the start of the Kilmore East trial.

The new courtroom will be constructed on the third floor of the WCJC, combining a current smaller courtroom and meeting rooms.

The new courtroom will use modular furniture and fittings to provide flexibility in configuration to accommodate differing numbers of lawyers, parties and/or expert witnesses, depending on the trial concerned. It will be able to seat up to 40 lawyers at its bar tables, and provide public gallery seating for 80 to 100 people.

The fourth floor of the WCJC will provide a range of rooms to support the new courtroom, including conference rooms, retreat and counselling rooms and media facilities.