SA government calls Liberal IT policy a 'con'

The South Australian government has hit back at the state opposition, describing a recently announced plan to expand IT reforms across the entirety of the state’s justice system as a dream without $50 million in funds.

The government’s acting Attorney General Jack Snelling has pounced on comments made to the Adelaide Advertiser that suggested the opposition could be eyeing a funding commitment for the reforms in the vicinity of $1 million.

The government said that the SA Treasury’s own estimates of the cost to replace and upgrade core justice IT systems are more like $51 million.

“It’s all well and good to say the system needs improving, but committing $1 million dollars to a system-wide IT upgrade doesn’t come close to what is required.

“The government’s costings show that $1 million won’t go very far unless the Liberals’ policy involves installing second-hand copies of Windows 95,” said Snelling.

Snelling has promised a more considered and pragmatic approach to upgrading the state’s court systems which will be intertwined with the redevelopment of Adelaide courts precinct – but which may not extend to non-metropolitan areas.

“What we won’t do is pluck costings out of the air for fantasy-land policies that may have well been written on the back of a beer coaster,” he said.

The statement continues an ongoing battle for IT supremacy between the parties ahead of state election to be held in March.

A Newspoll taken just before Christmas showed the Marshall Liberal party in the lead to form government come March.

Ageing courts systems and paper-based processes have been blamed for inefficiency in the state’s justice system.