• Assisted the JCV with the developmentand introduction <strong>of</strong>JOIN.• Further developed the web siteby publishing <strong>County</strong> <strong>Court</strong>Judgments, investigating themigration <strong>of</strong> the hostingarrangements for the <strong>Court</strong> listsand changing the proceduresfor the distribution <strong>of</strong> the<strong>Court</strong>’s daily lists.• Assisted the DOJ’s UserReference Group (URG) in thecreation and standardisation <strong>of</strong>Metadata content and subjectthesaurus development.• Assisted the DOJ working groupto develop and establish a whole<strong>of</strong> courts web portal atwww.courts.vic.gov.au<strong>Court</strong> Research UnitThe <strong>Court</strong> Research Unit supportsJudges and <strong>Court</strong> staff by providing atimely, efficient and accurate legalresearch service. The SeniorResearcher manages the <strong>Court</strong>Research Training Program, providingone-on-one and group legalresearch training sessions to Judgesand Associates.The Unit conducted the followingmain activities in 2004–05:• Research support for theAnnual Judges' Seminar 2005.• Training <strong>of</strong> Judges and associatesin JOIN and legal research,and participation in JOINManagement Team.• Provided more comprehensiveand responsive information onnew legislation in light <strong>of</strong> theSex Offender Registration Act2004, including developing anew <strong>Court</strong> protocol whenresponding to law reform andproducing the LegislationBulletin. Other legislation thatrequired detailed research andconsideration included theSerious Sex OffendersMonitoring Act 2005 and theamendments to theConfiscation Act 1997 arisingout <strong>of</strong> the Major CrimesLegislative Package.Judges and Judicial SupportStaff by Gender—2004–05Judges and judicial support staff asat 30 June 2005.%1009080706050403020100JudgesAssociates TipstavesFemaleMaleOtherJudicialSupport<strong>Court</strong> Pr<strong>of</strong>ile43
The <strong>Court</strong>’s PeopleJudicial Support, Administration and Registrystaff support the Judges by effectively carrying outkey operational functions <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Court</strong>.Judicial Support, Administration andcourt researchers, the messenger,Staff are eligible for superannuationThe first cycle <strong>of</strong> the newRegistry staff support the Judges byCLMS team and several IT staff andbenefits provided through two mainPerformance and Progressioneffectively carrying out key opera-one YES trainee.funds—VicSuper Pty Ltd andSystem concluded on 30 Septembertional functions <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Court</strong>.Registrar Ann Matheson heads the<strong>Court</strong> Registry and CEO Neil Twistmanages the administration <strong>of</strong> the<strong>Court</strong>. The Registrar and ManagerLibrary and Information Servicesreport to the CEO with respect to<strong>Court</strong> administrative matters.As at 30 June 2005, the full-time staffequivalent figure was 186.84, includingJudicial Support, Administrationand Registry staff. The table on page45 shows a breakdown <strong>of</strong> gradelevels under the VPS structure.The full-time staff equivalent figurefor administrative staff was 24.2,compared with 24.4 in 2003–04.This figure includes staff whose roleis quasi-administrative, meaning thatthe positions they occupy involvejudicial support, such as secretarial,library and information services,Refer to the organisational chart onpage 37 outlining the relationshipsbetween the administration and thejudiciary.Wages andSuperannuationNon-judicial employee wages totalled$9.96 million in 2004–05, comparedwith $9.07 million in 2003–04. TheVPS Agreement provided staff with a3.0% salary increase effective on1 September 2004 (3.0% in2003–04). Progression paymentsunder the Performance Managementand Progression System were made atthe end <strong>of</strong> the first cycle on 1 October2004 and at the end <strong>of</strong> the secondcycle on 30 June 2005.Government Superannuation Office.The DOJ is obliged to make contributionsamounting to 9.0% <strong>of</strong> salary tothe super fund <strong>of</strong> choice, providing itcomplies with SuperannuationGuarantee legislation.EmploymentAgreement andCareer StructureStaff terms and conditions <strong>of</strong> employmentare in accordance with the<strong>Victoria</strong>n Public Service (VPS)Agreement 2004. The Agreement setsout the VPS Career ClassificationStructure identifying progressionpoints that form the basis <strong>of</strong> thePerformance Management andProgression System. Performanceplanning involves setting progressioncriteria in line with performancestandards in order to move up aprogression point in each grade.2004. The <strong>Court</strong> gave all staff theopportunity to participate in a series<strong>of</strong> information sessions conductedby the DOJ and <strong>Court</strong> HumanResources staff.Equal EmploymentOpportunityThe <strong>Court</strong> is an equal employmentopportunity employer. Through ourrecruitment process, we are committedto selecting the best applicants,consistent with merit and equity principles.During 2004–05, we updatedstaff on current issues and developmentswith regard to bullying, sexualharassment and discrimination issueswithin the workplace by conductingseminars, workshops and circulatingrelevant literature. A copy <strong>of</strong> the<strong>Court</strong>’s Workplace Bullying AndOccupational Violence Policy is availableto all staff on the Bulletin Board.Partnership Awards recipients, fromleft—Margaret McHugh (Records andSubpoenas), Information TechnologyAnalyst Daniel Bonetto, SeniorAssociate (Training) SarahMcHutchison, Shane Draper (CivilListings), Manager Records andSubpoenas Brian Thiele, SeniorDeputy Registrar Terry Kearney andEd Lee (Criminal Listings).44<strong>County</strong> <strong>Court</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Victoria</strong> 2004–05 Annual Report
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