- Toowoomba Courthouse will receive a $16.1 million upgrade, including new DFV courtroom, safe room, and registry improvements.
- The Crisafulli Government's investment has boosted Queensland's Domestic and Family Violence Courthouse Improvement Program to almost $68 million in funding.
- Under Labor, Toowoomba Courthouse upgrades were significantly underfunded and could not have been delivered without Crisafulli Government's budget boost.
- The Crisafulli Government is making Queensland safer and putting victims first.
The Crisafulli Government is delivering better support for victim-survivors with upgrades to the Toowoomba Courthouse as part of Queensland's Domestic and Family Violence Courthouse Improvement Program.
The $16.1 million funding boost will ensure long-overdue upgrades are completed following Labor's decade of decline, which left the statewide program seriously underfunded.
It's just one of the ways the Crisafulli Government is delivering a fresh start and making Queensland safer, with the additional investment lifting total funding for the program to almost $68 million across the State.
The upgrades include construction of two new courtrooms, with one dedicated to DFV matters ensuring victim-survivors can have their matters heard sooner, and one shell courtroom for future capacity requirements.
Safety will be further bolstered with a new secure DFV safe room, giving vulnerable witnesses private and secure areas to prepare for and access court.
The court registry and other areas of the courthouse will also be refurbished to accommodate extra staff for the delivery of the new court services.
The project supports enhanced delivery of DFV justice services at Toowoomba Magistrates Court, which dealt with 760 applications for domestic violence orders and more than 1,600 charges of contravening a domestic violence order last financial year.
The project expected to be completed in coming months.
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity Deb Frecklington said every Queenslander deserved to be safe when seeking justice.
"The Crisafulli Government promised Queenslanders we would deliver a justice system that prioritised the rights of victims and I'm very proud of this major upgrade to make our community safer," the Attorney-General said.
"The Toowoomba Courthouse upgrade and extension is one of the largest projects being delivered under the DFV Courthouse Improvement Program and will ensure better court facilities that support victim-survivors of DFV through the justice process.
"It is all about delivering faster and safer access to justice for victims and ensuring offenders are held to account.
"The Crisafulli Government firmly believes that everyone deserves to feel safe when seeking justice, which is why we have bolstered funding to save this project after Labor left the program underfunded."
Member for Toowoomba North Trevor Watts said the courthouse upgrade was a major investment in the region's justice system.
"A dedicated domestic and family violence courtroom will mean victim survivors are heard sooner and in a safer environment," Mr Watts said.
"This is a significant step toward faster, fairer, and more compassionate access to justice in Toowoomba."
Upgrades to Ipswich and Caboolture courthouses are already complete, and projects at Brisbane, Cairns, Maroochydore, Rockhampton, and Mackay courthouses continue to be delivered under the DFV Courthouse Improvements Program.
