The New South Wales Department of Police and Justice have been allocated $81.9 million over the next four years for videoconferencing and ICT upgrades in the NSW 2014-15 Budget.
The $40 million Justice Audio Visual Link Consolidation Project will expand the use of videoconferencing in 99 courts, 34 correctional centres, nine juvenile justice facilities, 89 NSW state police stations, 10 Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions metropolitan and regional offices and 21 Legal Aid offices.
According to Attorney General and Minister for Justice Brad Hazzard, the videoconferencing project would reduce the “unnecessary financial burden” of transporting accused and convicted people through NSW for court appearances.
“On average, 63,000 [videoconferencing] sessions were held a year connecting correctional centres, courts, legal professionals, health professionals and families. But there are still parts of the state where juveniles and accompanying staff have to catch a plane for court appearances because there is no audio visual option,” Hazzard said in a statement.
An additional $41.9 million has been allocated over the next four years to upgrade legacy ICT equipment in the Department of Police and Justice.
The NSW Department of Police and Justice has been contacted for further details by Computerworld Australia.
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