Digital Probate

The Courts Administration Authority is preparing to launch its new Electronic Court Management System known as CourtSA for Probate matters from 26 November 2018 promising quicker processing but no cost savings to court users. CourtSA will essentially allow us to provide data to complete online forms for the purpose of the…

The Courts Administration Authority is preparing to launch its new Electronic Court Management System known as CourtSA for Probate matters from 26 November 2018 promising quicker processing but no cost savings to court users.

CourtSA will essentially allow us to provide data to complete online forms for the purpose of the relevant probate application or to request information from the court.

The Courts Administration Authority anticipate that CourtSA will allow applications to be processed more quickly than the current paper based system. Clearly, this system has the potential to bring the courts system, which has been neglected in government funding over many years, into the modern era if implemented correctly.

CourtSA will be rolled out progressively with Probate selected as the first jurisdiction to go live.

Civil matters are scheduled for late 2019 and criminal matters scheduled for late 2010.

The introduction of CourtSA coincides with the Courts Administration Authority facing a reduction in state government funding of $1.42 million in 2019-2020, $1.44 million in 2020-2021 and $4.9 million from 2021-2022. The introduction of such a significant reform in the processing of probate actions together with other court matters no doubt requires additional funding initially to manage the coordination of its implementation and the administrative challenges presented by the transition. However, the government expects to benefit from $21 million in probate and court fees collected by the courts from court users on behalf of the government.

In a previous blog I addressed the substantial filing fees paid in South Australia in contrast to other states and territories. It now appears that the significant fees paid by our clients to the Courts Administration Authority will be paid into general revenue rather than being invested back into the court system.

Contact Us

If you require assistance or further information in relation to any probate issue contact us on 8523 8400 (Gawler) or 8211 6500 (Adelaide) to arrange an appointment for an initial no obligation consultation with one of our lawyers. Alternatively, send an email to legal@rudalls.com.au and we will contact you.