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South Australia’s courts introduce text messaging notifying accused of court dates

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By Steven Raeburn, N/A

November 19, 2013 | 3 min read

South Australian Judge Elizabeth Bolton, the state's Chief Magistrate, has said that the state’s courts will introduce text messaging to notify accused persons that their court dates are imminent.

The Bar is about to be raised into the social media realm

She said the state needed to "make the most of, within our resources, using those technological solutions".

"We've still got some things in the pipeline from the process redesign project we did a year or two ago. I'm hopeful we will get around to the SMS project that might help people who, as many do, forget or don't read their papers correctly, whatever it is, just as a reminder as you do from your hairdresser, your dentist," she said.

The system is expected to be introduced in February.

"I think it's incumbent on all of us to realise we are living in an age where there is much more technological facility than previously and if people habitually put all their stuff in their mobile phone rather than write it on a piece of paper or have a calendar,” she said.

She also said that the state plans to introduce and extend the use of video links.

"It's my expectation that at least some of the reductions in circuits in terms of visiting places will be able to be made up by audiovisual links and certainly we'll use that as much as we can,” she said.

Last month the Supreme Court in adjoining Victoria announced that it is to join Facebook, and is completing its online presence with a dedicated website comprising live videos and retired judges' blogs.

The court also intends to become fully paperless and become an ‘e-court’ by 2016.

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