New data released by the Magistrates Court of Victoria has revealed as of March there were 116,000 pending cases waiting to be dealt with.The figure represents a 45 per cent increase on the average 70,000-80,000 pending matters prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.The data comes amid warnings it could take a decade for the court backlog crippling the state’s justice system to recover.Court whistleblowers say the true number of outstanding cases is being misrepresented and the backlog cannot be cleared without a significant injection of funds.A media release published by the Magistrates Court on Friday said pending case numbers had fallen since a peak of 145,000 in December 2020.“The number of pending cases at the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria increased during 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” it said.“A pending case is a matter that has been listed but is yet to be finalised.“As court operations were temporarily impacted early in the pandemic, the number of pending matters rose to a peak of 145,512 in December 2020.“Since then, the pending caseload has declined, with 116,223 matters pending at 30 March 2022.”The court said the use of online hearings, modernised court practice and expanded powers for judicial registrars was helping finalise cases in a timely manner.It said 316,795 matters were finalised between March 2020 to March 2022.“Online hearings, together with active case management and triaging, will continue to play a critical role in reducing MCV’s pending caseload to pre-pandemic levels.”Senior legal sources told the Herald Sun judicial figures feared the backlog would plague courts for a decade.The problem is worst in the magistrates courts, where most criminal matters begin, they said.“The backlog will continue to get worse as the court is still only travelling at a fraction of its capacity,” the source said.“That means not only are the courts not clearing the backlog, the backlog is continuing to increase and will do so for many years to come.”The auditor general recently found Victoria would need 179 more courtrooms – a 70 per cent increase – in 15 years.Another $186m was needed to bring court buildings up to standard and $369m would be needed within five years to maintain facilities.
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