Milestone MOU signed

Another important milestone marking the independence of Court Services Victoria was reached in early May with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Executive Government and the Courts Council.

Court Services Victoria was established on 1 July 2014 as an independent statutory body corporate to provide services and facilities to Victoria's courts, Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal and the Judicial College of Victoria. CSV was formed to strengthen the independence of the courts and tribunals, and to put court administration into the hands of an entity directed by the judiciary. 

The purpose of the MOU is to set out agreed principles and processes regarding the relationship between CSV and Executive Government.

In Victoria's system of responsible government, the Attorney-General, the Treasurer and the Minister for Finance have a number of accountabilities with respect to CSV and the funds appropriated to it by the Parliament. The processes established by the MOU are intended to reflect a mutual respect for the different constitutional roles of the Courts and Executive Government and the new role of CSV. 

The principles and processes set out in the MOU include how the parties will share information, consult with each other, and deal with financial information and budget processes. 

The MOU sets out CSV's commitment to provide all information necessary for the Treasurer and Minister for Finance to compile the annual Budget Papers, and to comply with the various financial standards and directions applicable to Executive Government bodies. These provisions reflect CSV's commitment to ensuring that public monies are expended appropriately, transparently and with the full oversight of Parliament.

The MOU further provides that the Attorney General, the Chair of the Courts Council, the Secretary of the Department of Justice and Regulation and the CSV CEO will meet regularly to ensure the maintenance of a successful relationship.

You can download a copy of the Memorandum of Understanding from this website, by selecting the link under Related Publications on the left-hand side of this page.