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Annual Report

Message from the Secretary

I am pleased to present the 2022–23 Annual Report of the Department of Justice, which provides a summary of the extensive work undertaken across all areas of the Department over the last 12 months.

The year began with the launch of the Department’s Strategic Plan 2022–2027. This is the first time for a number of years that we have had a comprehensive Strategic Plan that appropriately reflects the diversity of our organisation. The document strikes a careful balance between being high level enough to encompass all areas of the Department whilst providing sufficient detail to be meaningful for our staff, our stakeholders and the Tasmanian community. Under four strategic goals the Strategic Plan identifies 13 strategies and 46 specific initiatives that we will focus on over the coming years. Further details on the Strategic Plan and reports on progress of the initiatives are provided throughout this annual report.

The Department has continued to support the Attorney-General to give effect to many of the Government’s legislative priorities, with more than 20 Bills either tabled in, or debated by, the Parliament in 2022–23. On behalf of the Attorney, the Department released a number of other Bills for consultation and undertook significant policy work to inform future reforms. Law reform and contributing to the administration of justice is core business for this Agency, with work often completed within tight timeframes and whilst seeking the views of our very diverse stakeholders. I would like to commend our policy and legislative staff across the Department for their professionalism, commitment and expertise which enable us to deliver the legislative program.

The Corrections and Rehabilitation portfolio continued to be a key focus for the Department in 2022–23 with several major milestones achieved during the year. The opening of the Southern Remand Centre in July 2022 represented the most significant investment in Tasmania’s correctional infrastructure in many years. The modern, purpose designed facility allows people held on remand to be housed separately from the sentenced prisoner population and supports a focus on rehabilitation and reintegration. The success of the project to build and commission the facility is a testament to the hard work and commitment of staff from both the Strategic Infrastructure Projects team and the Tasmania Prison Service and I would again like to congratulate all involved.

2022–23 also saw the release of Changing Lives, creating futures – A Strategic Plan for Corrections in Tasmania which identifies six key priorities to create a more effective Corrections system which rehabilitates individuals, supports staff and makes Tasmania safer. The plan is ambitious and implementation will require a collaborative approach from Corrections and other stakeholders in order to succeed but I am confident that with such committed staff – and many within the Tasmanian community willing to support our plans – we have every chance of success.

Strategic infrastructure and significant ICT projects continued to progress in 2022–23. Following consultation with the community, a site in Burnie’s Central Business District has been chosen for the new Burnie Court Complex and work is underway to the purchase the site and develop designs for the new facility. Similarly throughout 2022–23 significant progress has been made on due diligence investigations for the Northern Correctional Facility on the site of the current Ashley Youth Detention Centre. Work continued to develop ‘Astria’, our ICT project which will connect all the administration of justice outputs across the Agency, provide a seamless end to end service and deliver significant benefits for the Courts, Tasmania Prison Service and other system users. Pleasingly, 2022–23 saw the first component of the system delivered with the implementation of the Jury Management stream in use by the Supreme Court of Tasmania.

The Department has continued to lead the Tasmanian Government’s engagement with the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings. This work has placed significant demands on staff in both the Child Abuse Royal Commission Response Unit and the Office of the Solicitor General who have continued to do an outstanding job meeting the Commission’s requirements and providing support to staff required to provide information to and/or appear before the Commission. I would again like to acknowledge the work of all staff involved, who have done an outstanding job meeting the Commission’s requirements and providing support to staff who have been required to provide information to the Commission. With the Commission of Inquiry due to deliver their report on 31 August 2023, we anticipate there will be significant further work required in a number of areas of the Department to support the Government’s response and give effect to the Commission’s recommendations and we will continue to prioritise this very important work.

Whilst I have singled out some of our projects and initiatives, it is important that we acknowledge the significant and sizable workload generated by the diversity of our core business undertaken across the Department. While this operational work does not always receive the same recognition, it makes a valuable contribution to the Tasmanian community we serve. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all staff of the Department for their work and dedication over the last 12 months. Our people are the most important resource we have and the skill, expertise and commitment they bring to their roles and the enthusiasm with which they undertake their work continues to make me proud to lead the Department.

Recognising that our people are key to achieving our objectives we have continued to focus on implementing initiatives contained within our People Strategy which aim to build our culture, leadership and capability. In 2022–23 this has included a focus on developing and supporting our managers to be effective in their roles, improving our induction program for new starters and implementing an Ongoing Performance Development model to provide regular feedback, support and recognition for staff.

I was also pleased to launch our new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy 2023–26 which outlines our commitment to being a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace that better reflects the Tasmanian community we serve. This work is supported by a number of reference groups which bring together staff from across the Department and community representatives to ensure our approach is informed by lived experience and a diversity of perspectives. I thank all members of these groups for their valuable contribution, which is enabling the Department of Justice to be a leader in this area, and I look forward to continuing this important work.

A further highlight of 2022–23 was the presentation of our inaugural Values Awards which recognised individuals and teams who have gone above and beyond in the way they demonstrate our Departmental values in the course of their work. The quality and quantity of submissions received from areas across the Department for these peer nominated awards is further testament to the calibre of our people and the meaningful way our values have been implemented.

I would like to acknowledge and thank a number of senior staff who left the Department during 2022–23 and also welcome several new colleagues.

  • Kerrie Crowder retired from the position of Deputy Secretary Corporate, Strategy and Governance this year having made a significant contribution to the Department over many years in a variety of roles
  • Jim Connolly also retired from his position of Registrar Supreme Court, having played a key leadership role within the Court for a number of years.

A number of other senior staff moved on to other roles during 2022–23 including:

  • Amber Mignot (Director Child Abuse Royal Commission Response Unit) who has taken a position as the Attorney-General’s Chief of Staff
  • Vincenzo Caltabiano (Director Tasmania Legal Aid) who was appointed as a Magistrate in Victoria.

I would like to thank each of these staff for their contributions to the work of the Department and wish them well for the future.

We also welcomed a number of new people into senior leadership roles within the Department in 2022–23, including:

  • Pauline van Adrichem who was promoted to Deputy Secretary Strategy, Governance and Major Projects
  • Chelsea Trubody-Jager who was appointed as Director Crown Law
  • Yolanda Prenc who was appointed as Administrator Magistrates Court, replacing
  • Penelope Ikedife who was promoted to Registrar Supreme Court
  • Narelle Butt who was appointed as Acting Executive Director Consumer, Building and Occupational Services.

I would particularly like to thank the current leadership of the Department, including our four Deputy Secretaries, Output Managers and Statutory Office holders (and people who have acted in these roles) for their contribution during 2022–23. The demands on these individuals continue to be significant and I feel fortunate to be supported by such a knowledgeable, skilled and committed team leading staff across the Department to deliver services and outcomes for the Tasmanian community.

Additional information on all the initiatives I have referred to above, along with qualitative and quantitative performance reports, financial statements and information required to be published to meet a range of compliance obligations is provided throughout the subsequent sections of this annual report, which I commend to you.

Ginna Webster
Secretary
Department of Justice

22 September 2023

About Us

Here is a snapshot of our Department as at 30 June 2023. Download our Annual Report from the link below to read about us in more detail.

Quick facts

In 2022-23 the Department

  • Had staff in more than 30 office/building locations across the State
  • Awarded 28 contracts with a total value of 9 million – 17 of these, valued at more than $5 million, went to Tasmanian businesses
  • Administered more than 230 pieces of legislation across 4 portfolio areas
  • Collected more than $21.4 million in fines and finalised more than 98,300 debts
  • Developed 20 Bills that were either introduced into, debated, or passed by Parliament, consulted on a further 7 Bills and remade 11 sets of regulations.

People

1,732 staff equating to 1,629.9 full time equivalents (FTE)

1,003 Women

  • 726 female full-time staff
  • 277 female part time staff

729 men

  • 678 male full-time staff
  • 51 male part-time/casual staff

*Note: Five employees identify as non-binary, use a different term to describe their gender, or have not disclosed their gender.

Age

  • 12% are aged under 30
  • 25% are aged between 30 and 39
  • 23% are aged between 40 and 49
  • 28% are aged between 50 and 59
  • 12% are aged 60 and over

Achievements

Highlights amongst the range of projects and initiatives progressed across the Department during the 2022-23 reporting period include:

  • Launching the Department’s Strategic Plan 2022-27 to identify the key priorities which will guide our work over the next five years
  • Release of Changing Lives, creating futures – A Strategic Plan for Corrections in Tasmania
  • Opening of the Southern Remand Centre, the most significant investment in correctional infrastructure in many years
  • Continuing to lead the Tasmanian government’s engagement with the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings
  • Making significant progress towards the implementation of the Child and Youth Safe Organisations Framework, including commencing recruitment for the Independent Regulator
  • Continuing to upgrade our workplaces across the state to ensure they meet the needs of staff and support the delivery of services
  • Providing protections for Tasmanians building their home through legislative reforms, progressing the reintroduction of Home Warranty Insurance and continuing to administer the Financial Assistance Package
  • Progressing the government’s legislative reform agenda with the tabling and/or passage of over 20 Bills
  • Continuing to progress major infrastructure projects with due diligence investigations for the Northern Correctional Facility progressing well and selection of a CBD site for the new Burnie Courts Complex
  • Continuing development and implementation of Astria with the Jury Management stream going live
  • Completion of the video conferencing upgrade project improving access to technology across Supreme and Magistrates Courts sites and Tasmania Prison Service interview rooms
  • Release of a new Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy furthering our commitment to a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace
  • Increasing our focus on cyber security and building our capacity to manage and respond to the ever increasing level of risk
  • Release of the Legal Assistance Strategy 2022-25 and Tasmanian Legal Assistance Action Plan 2022-23 with significant progress made on implementation of the deliverables
  • Maintaining a focus on correctional office recruitment with a new advertising campaign launched in early 2023, and a record number of training courses completed in 2022 leading to 76 new correctional officers commencing
  • Significant progress made on the project to install body scanners in four Tasmania Prison Service facilities which increase safety and security for staff, inmates and visitors
  • Presentation of our inaugural Values Awards recognising those individuals and teams who embody the Department’s values in the way they undertake their work
  • Implementation of a new Ongoing Performance Development model which supplemented by a continuing focus on learning and development supports the growth and development of our staff
  • Implementing Automatic Mutual Recognition for a range of occupational groups allowing people who hold licences in other jurisdictions to more easily work in Tasmania
  • Implementing the operational framework for management of High Risk Offenders ahead of the first order being made in early 2023.

Downloads

Department of Justice Annual Report 2022-23 (PDF, 2.0 MB)

Contact communications@justice.tas.gov.au for more information.

Visit the National Library of Australia for earlier annual reports.

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Last updated: 19 October 2023