Media Statement: Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Kerry Shine.

I am aware of the concerns within the office of the DPP about funding and the case loads experienced by prosecutors. That is why in January I requested a report on recruitment and retention trends within the office of the DPP.

I requested the report to provide the Government with guidance about recruitment and retention of prosecutors within the Office of the DPP.

I received a draft of the report in late March and then instructed my Director-General to conduct further investigations regarding the issues raised in the report.

With regards to the comparison of Queensland prosecutor caseloads with other jurisdictions mentioned in the draft report, it’s important to remember we are not comparing apples with apples.

In Queensland, around 60% of the DPP’s workload deals with less complex matters in the lower courts.

The figures in other jurisdictions only refer to the more complex matters dealt with in the high courts.

This explains in part the higher figures attributed to case loads in Queensland.

We are considering a restructure of how matters are dealt with in the Magistrates Court to reduce the workload of DPP prosecutors. 

Over the last five years we have increased funding to the ODPP by 43%.

What I am concerned about in our current tight economic climate is to make sure that taxpayers money is being used efficiently.

This report is about developing a strategy to recruit and retain staff and ensure the Office of the DPP is running as effectively as possible.