Indonesian and Australian courts renew their commitment to judicial cooperation for 2013-2014
In October 2012, the Supreme Court of Indonesia and the Federal and Family Courts of Australia signed the new Annex to their Memorandum of Understanding. This builds on a long history of working together to improve judicial services in Indonesia.
Chief Justice Patrick Keane of the Federal Court of Australia said the relationship, “Has been valuable and highly rewarding, providing us with the opportunity to learn from one another. We are deeply committed to supporting the reform process and ensuring our commitment is for the long term.”
AIPJ congratulated Chief Justice Patrick Keane on his appointment to the High Court of Australia, and thanked him for his outstanding contribution to the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Justice. The Hon Justice James Allsop was also congratulated on his appointment as Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia.
The work program for the next 12 months focuses on enhancing access to justice, particularly for poor and marginalized communities, and strengthening the delivery of services through court fee waivers, circuit courts and legal aid posts in courts. Lesson learnt from the 2012 internship program with the Federal Court will be consolidated, and a framework for mediation institutionalised in Indonesia. Other initiatives will include developing excellence in class actions, and advancing a code of conduct for registrars and other court staff.
Chief Justice Hon Dr M Hatta Ali, SH, MH of the Supreme Court of Indonesia said, “Despite differences [language, system of law, and political relations] the Courts continue to communicate and work productively and generate many important outcomes.” Chief Justice Diana Bryant of the Family Court of Australia added, “Together we have witnessed incredible change in improving access to justice in a relatively short period of time.”
Following the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding, AIPJ has continued to support the partnership through activities including workshops delivering mediation training to a total of 90 Religious Court judges from throughout Indonesia. It has also facilitated a series of meetings between the Supreme and Federal Courts held in Jakarta from 3-6 December 2012.
During these meetings, the Federal Court delegates Registrar the Hon Justice Bernard Murphy, CEO Warwick Soden, and District Registrar Sia Lagos, exchanged information and experiences with their Supreme Court counterparts, including Chief Justice Hon Dr M Hatta Ali, SH, MH, in order to develop the 2013 – 2014 work program in key areas of the judicial cooperation agreement.
“The problems we face are very similar: how do we provide justice in less time, and make our services more accessible with the resources available to us? We need better court processes, better systems in place to offer effective case management,” said Justice Murphy.
Supporting the Indonesian justice system to provide fast, consistent and accessible services to all justice seekers is a core focus of AIPJ’s Realising Rights strategy. This year, AIPJ will continue to support these valuable judicial partnerships, recognizing the importance of ongoing conversations and learning between colleagues from both countries.
