On 11 November 2022, SERI made a submission on the land court bill. SERI broadly welcomes the creation of the Land Court and the vision of the Bill. It makes these submissions to address specific aspects of the Bill that may still present obstacles to the effective performance of the Land Court and the realisation of the Bill’s vision. SERI proposes changes to address the issues raised in this submission. These are:
- Jurisdiction of the Land Court;
- Capacity to deal with matters arising from the PIE Act, given the proposed removal of High Court jurisdiction under the PIE Act;
- The appointment of judges;
- Resourcing of the Land Court, including the appointment of mediators, assessors and court staff.
Overall, SERI is concerned that the Bill in its current state will not fulfil its ambitions or advance the Land Court as a capable and functional institution. We therefore recommend that it be amended in line with this submission.
- Access the full submission here.