A $3.6 million upgrade of the Dubbo Courthouse, announced today by the NSW Government, will be greatly welcomed by the local community, court staff and members of the legal profession, according to the state’s peak legal body.

The Law Society of NSW has long advocated for additional court resources in rural and regional NSW, including the Orana region.

President of the Law Society of NSW, Richard Harvey, said the planned upgrade, which will increase the courtroom capacity from three courtrooms to four, will be a much-welcomed boost to the delivery of justice in the region, noting that Dubbo Courthouse is one of the busiest in the state.

“I’m particularly pleased that the new multi-purpose state-of-the-art courtroom will be equipped with the latest audio-visual link technology,” Mr Harvey said.

“In these COVID times, when our court system has had to rely more on the use of AVL technology than ever before, and we have seen first-hand the benefits it can provide in the delivery of justice, it’s important that we future proof our state’s court facilities at every available opportunity.

“I join with the Orana Regional Law Society in welcoming this news, and will, on behalf of the state’s solicitors, encourage the NSW Government to continue to provide additional court resources where they are needed,” Mr Harvey said.

Mr Harvey also noted that the NSW Government has recently indicated it will be providing a final response to the Report of the Special Commission of Inquiry into the Drug ‘Ice’, which recommended the expansion of the Drug Court.

“The Law Society has long held the view that there’s a pressing need for a Drug Court in regional NSW along with an additional investment in community-based treatments such as drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres,” he said.

President of the Orana Regional Law Society Andrew Boog, echoed Mr Harvey’s comments.

“I join with others in welcoming the news and I thank the NSW Government for recognising the needs of country people and I also look forward to seeing the response to the Ice inquiry Report,” Mr Boog said.