Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

One Nation will not be supporting the Greens' amendment on sheet 1207, with regard to increasing the judges from 25 to 40. I was involved in the committee that actually looked into the merger of the two courts. After hearing evidence that was given, and especially being involved as deputy chair in the Family Court matter presently on foot and the advice that we actually heard, yes, there is a backlog in the court system, and, yes, the judges are terribly overworked. Why I've come to the conclusion that I'm not going to support this is that it's not really more judges that we need; it's more registrars and their support staff that we need. It has been shown that by putting registrars and senior registrars into the positions they can actually triage, hear the mentions and even the contraventions of orders and do a lot of the work of the judges. They can actually even hear determinations. That has been supported by judges and the Chief Justice and the Deputy Chief Justice.

I'd like to point out to Senator Thorpe that by appointing judges into the Federal Courts their appointment is until they're 70 years of age. They can't be sacked, unless they're sacked by both houses of parliament. That is rarely ever done. When you have registrars appointed, they can be utilised when needed in the court system, and we can bring in more or less. They are doing the work and helping the judges. A Federal Court judge in the Family Court Division 1 is basically costing the taxpayers approximately $500,000 a year. That is a huge cost to taxpayers. We found that a lot of these judges are stressed and a lot of them are overworked and that, hence, a lot actually take a lot of time away from their work because of this and they're still being paid, yet the work is not being completed—work which could be carried on by registrars.

People do need to get their cases heard, but I truly do believe that instead of putting more money into judges—because in the Family Court their average of 27 judges heard approximately 500 cases a year, yet the Federal Circuit Court judges heard about 500 to 600 cases a year each—we need to look clearly at how we're going to do it. I do support the Attorney-General's move to a minimum number of 25 judges and the appointment of more registrars.

There has been a lot of streamlining that has been happening in the court system to actually address people's needs, and their submissions are being taken up under the Lighthouse Project, which is working extremely well. I think the Attorney-General is doing an excellent job addressing the needs of the courts.

I must say that the Labor Party complains that the Liberal Party has done nothing in the last seven years. Well then, I'd ask the same question of the Labor Party: what have they done in their time when they were in parliament here? Absolutely nothing, because the increases happened. So it's alright to point the finger and have your say now on what the Liberal Party has done, but the Labor Party have in fact done absolutely nothing themselves.

This is a way forward. I have been involved in this for many years and have raised the issues continually in this house. I have reviewed it, possibly more than any other member in this place, so I feel that I am very much across this and I am supporting the government's bill. I will not support the Greens' amendment to this.