A.2 OVERVIEW

This was a year dominated by the intensity of the Blitz, and a significant increase in Magistrates Court matters.

The completion of the prosecutors’ work value review saw significant and long overdue increases in prosecutor salaries. The year also saw much internal focus on the professional development of paralegals.

The Office was very engaged in discussions concerning listing arrangements in both the Supreme Court and Magistrates Court. The Office continued to contribute on law reform issues.

A high level of liaison is maintained with the Courts, the AFP, the JACS directorate and the legal profession. There are a myriad of other liaison and consultation arrangements many of which are referred to in this report.

The essential business of the office is criminal litigation. The office continues to operate in an environment of externally imposed deadlines and very high work volumes. The statistics and case reports in the body of this report give an idea of the detailed work of the office.

A.3 HIGHLIGHTS

Noteworthy operational achievements during 2011-2012 were:

• The completion of a work value review of prosecutor positions, which recognised the increased complexity of their roles. This led to significant salary increases for prosecutors and a more competitive alignment with similar positions interstate;
• The Blitz, which involved supreme efforts from all parts of the Office;
  The prosecution of a number of significant Crown appeals, especially in relation to sentencing in sexual offences;
• The prosecution of a large number of complex and difficult cases including 57 completed trials, the second highest number on record;
• Implementation of the new professional development package for paralegals, and the consolidation of the re-structure of the paralegal area;
• Contribution to law reform in the Territory, notably in the SARP area;
• Consolidation of the move towards electronic delivery of library services, particularly the supporting of tablet devices and the like for prosecutors;
• Recruitment and training of junior lawyers;
• Revision of the external internet website to make it more responsive to community needs;
• The introduction of the ACT Smart Office program to reduce the impact of operations on climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.

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ANNUAL REPORT  2011-12  DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC PROSECUTIONS                                                                                    8