Corangamite Shire residents will benefit from a review of Victoria’s fence laws, Member for Western Victoria, Gayle Tierney said today.
The reforms were announced today by Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls, as part of Justice Statement 2, the Brumby Government’s next chapter of reform for Victoria’s justice system.
Ms Tierney said that a dedicated review of the Fences Act will seek to minimise disputes over shared fences by applying appropriate dispute resolution procedures where necessary.
“Many Corangamite Shire households share fences with neighbours, and long, bitter disputes can become a headache for all involved,” Ms Tierney said.
“Renewed legislation can ensure these time-consuming disputes are significantly reduced, with each neighbour’s rights and obligations clearly defined from the outset.”
This is one of a series of initiatives in Justice Statement 2, that focus on expanding Appropriate Dispute Resolution (ADR) in Victoria so the community, business and industry have better options for resolving disputes quickly and cheaply.
“Given that each year 35 per cent of Victorians find themselves involved in legal disputes ranging from neighbourhood complaints to injury claims, we must find better ways of resolving disputes,” said Mr Hulls.
“Mediation in the community will be encouraged and if people do need to go to court, the courts will continue to seek out better ways to identify the core issues in dispute and resolve them using ADR.”
Justice Statement 2 outlines 35 projects to update and modernise our justice system, focusing on the themes of Modernising Justice, Protecting Rights, Addressing Disadvantage, Reducing the Cost of Justice and Creating and Engaged and Unified Court System.
Key projects include a boost to services for victims of crime and improvements to the availability of support information, an overhaul of Victoria’s equal opportunity laws to address systemic discrimination and consideration of a new approach for the courts to better address mental illness, including the possible establishment of a mental health list.
“Justice Statement 2 affirms the Brumby Government’s commitment to a fair, accessible and responsive justice system for all Victorians,” Mr Hulls said.