George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much indeed for that question, Senator Hanson. I know you take a very close interest in the federal judiciary and in particular the family law system. I am familiar with the KPMG report and the Ernst & Young review. These were internal departmental documents. There have been reforms and efficiencies within the federal judicial system, in particular, the consolidation of the registry functions of the three federal courts that sit beneath the High Court of Australia—that is, the Federal Court of Australia, the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court. So, now, rather than having three different administrations, there is one common administration on which each of those courts is represented and operates under the auspices of the Federal Court of Australia. These are the kinds of efficiencies in the system, in the administrative aspects of the federal judicial system, that the government has implemented in collaboration or cooperation with the three heads of jurisdiction.

We are always looking for efficiencies in the way that all agencies operate. The need to seek efficiencies extends to the way the third arm of government, the judicial arm, operates, as well. I do not like referring to courts as agencies. I think the finance department does but I am a bit of a purist about this.